US proposes 60-day ceasefire for Gaza, plan shows

A U.S. plan for Gaza seen by Reuters on Friday proposes a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 28 Israeli hostages alive and dead in the first week, in return for the release of 125 Palestinian prisoners sentenced for life and remnants of 180 Palestinian dead.

The plan includes sending aid to Gaza as soon as Hamas signs off on the ceasefire agreement.

** Israel has agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal for Gaza, the White House said on Thursday, and Hamas said it was reviewing the plan although its terms did not meet the group's demands.

As a U.S.-backed system for distributing food aid in the shattered enclave expanded, Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the families of hostages held in Gaza that Israel had accepted a deal presented by U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

Netanyahu's office did not confirm the reports, but White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington that Israel had signed off on the proposal.

She did not detail its contents. A source briefed on the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the initial phase of the proposed deal would include a 60-day ceasefire and the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas said it was studying the proposal, and senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the group was still discussing it.

But Abu Zuhri said its terms echoed Israel's position and do not contain commitments to end the war, withdraw Israeli troops or admit aid as Hamas has demanded.

Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March after only two months.

Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely and be dismantled as a military and governing force and that all 58 hostages still held in Gaza must be returned before it will agree to end the war.

Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russia reveals team for next round of Ukraine peace talks

Russia’s negotiating team for the next round of direct peace talks with Ukraine will remain unchanged, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky will once again lead the delegation.

Moscow and Kiev last met for direct talks in Istanbul on May 16, marking the first formal negotiations since 2022. That round resulted in the largest prisoner exchange to date, with 1,000 individuals released by each side. The parties also agreed to prepare written proposals—a pair of memorandums—outlining their positions on a potential ceasefire ahead of the next meeting.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has proposed holding the follow-up talks on Monday, June 2, again in Istanbul. Zakharova later confirmed that the same Russian delegation will attend.

Her comments came after Medinsky, denied Ukrainian claims that Moscow is stalling the peace process. In a post on Telegram on Wednesday, he said he had called Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who leads Kiev’s negotiation team, and proposed “a date and location for the exchange of memorandums.”

“We are ready to begin substantive discussions on a framework agreement for a potential ceasefire,” the Russian official stated.

On Wednesday evening, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov confirmed that Moscow’s memorandum is ready, triggering a demand from Kiev that the document be released.

In a post on X Umerov stated that he had “handed over our document to the head of the Russian delegation, which reflects the Ukrainian position.”

“We are not opposed to further meetings with the Russians and are awaiting their ‘memorandum,’ so that the next meeting won’t be empty and can truly move us closer to ending the war,” Kiev’s top negotiator added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday dismissed Umerov’s demands to see the Russian memorandum prior to any forthcoming talks as “unconstructive.”

“They should either confirm they are prepared for talks or say otherwise,” Peskov said.

The Ukrainian leadership had previously insisted on a 30-day pause in hostilities as a precondition for negotiations. Russia rejected the proposal, arguing that Kiev would use it to regroup its military. Ukraine later revised its position under pressure from US President Donald Trump.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that for a full ceasefire to be achieved, Ukraine must halt its mobilization, stop receiving foreign weapons, and withdraw its forces from the territory Moscow claims.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian drones damage hospital, homes in Russia's Kursk, official says

Ukrainian drones launched a night-time attack on Russia's western Kursk region, damaging a hospital and apartment buildings and injuring at least one person, the regional governor said early on Friday.

Across the border in Ukraine's Sumy region, the regional governor reported fresh fighting in villages near the border where Russia has been seizing territory. He said various areas in his region were constantly changing hands.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he wants to create a buffer zone in Sumy, which was used to help launch Ukraine's incursion into Kursk last year.

In the Kursk region, where Russia's military says Ukrainian forces who staged the incursion last August have been ejected, Governor Alexander Khinshtein said Ukrainian drones swarmed the main town, also called Kursk.

"Drone fragments damaged the No. 1 city hospital in Kursk. Windows were smashed. Fortunately, no patients were injured," Khinshtein wrote on the Telegram messaging app. "Falling drone fragments have also damaged high-rise apartment buildings.

Ukraine's military says its forces remain active in small areas of Kursk region.

Authorities in Sumy region, under constant Russian attack for months, acknowledged this week that Russian forces were in control of at least four villages near the border.

"Active battles continue in certain border areas, notably around the settlements of Khotyn and Yunakivka," Governor Oleh Hryhorov wrote on Facebook.

"The situation on the line of contact is constantly changing. In some places, we hold the initiative, in others the enemy is proving to be active."

Russia's Defence Ministry on Thursday said its forces had captured three more villages as it slowly advances through parts of eastern Ukraine.

These were Stroivka in northeastern Kharkiv region, where Moscow has long been applying pressure, and Shevchenko Pershe and Hnativka near the town of Pokrovsk, the focal point of Russia's westward drive for months.

Ukrainian military reports have made no acknowledgement of any of the three villages coming under Russian control. A statement on Thursday evening said Russian forces had launched 53 attacks over 24 hours near Pokrovsk.

RT/Reuters

Troops of operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have arrested 18 serving soldiers and 15 police officers for allegedly selling arms to terrorists and other criminal elements.

Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday about the activities of troops in the north-east, Ademola Owolana, a major, said operation snowball, an exercise launched in August 2024 to target ammunition racketeering in the theatre, has recorded successes.

Owolana said the exercise was conducted across 11 states, with suspects arrested in Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Enugu, Lagos, Plateau, Kaduna, Rivers, Taraba and the federal capital territory (FCT).

He said eight civilians and one traditional ruler were also arrested over alleged arms racketeering.

“So far, a total of 18 soldiers, 15 mobile policemen, and eight civilians, including a traditional ruler, have been arrested,” he said.

Owolana said the “lucrative” nature of arms racketeering is the driving force behind the illegal activity.

He noted that Ameh Raphael, an armourer of the 7th division garrison, who has been engaging in the act since 2018, had N45 million in his bank account.

He added that Seidi Adamu of the 3rd division ordnance services, who has also been in the trade since 2022, had N34 million in his bank account.

He said the investigation revealed that N135 million passed through the bank account of Enoch Ngwa, a police inspector, arrested for arms racketeering.

He accused some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of conveying additives and food items to terrorist locations under the guise of humanitarian assistance.

“Additionally, a few soldiers motivated by greed are involved in ammunition racketeering, deliberately diverting arms from the military stockpiles and supply chains to terrorists,” he said.

“Such actions erode battlefield morale, reduce troops’ effectiveness, and strengthen enemy resistance.

“The most recent incident occurred on 24th February this year when a soldier of 144 Battalion was arrested with 30 rounds of 7.62mm specials at Tashin-Karo Kano by a military police K-19 on route search operations.

“Consequently, the theatre has continued to warn troops at all levels of the severe repercussions and sanctions of ammunition racketeering.

“Those found culpable have been dismissed and handed over to the police to serve as a deterrent.”

The Cable

Nigeria has relinquished its long-held position as Africa’s largest importer of refined petroleum products following the ramp-up of operations at the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery, a new report has stated.

South Africa has now overtaken Nigeria as the continent’s largest fuel importer, according to new data from energy consultancy CITAC, signalling a seismic shift in Africa’s downstream oil market.

The refinery, which began large-scale production in early 2024, is already disrupting established trade flows across sub-Saharan Africa and reshaping the continent’s energy dynamics.

With a refining capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, the largest single-train refinery in the world, its rising output is sharply reducing Nigeria’s dependence on petrol imports.

The latest figures released by an energy consultancy, CITAC, on Wednesday, showed that Nigeria imported 3.1 million metric tonnes of refined petroleum products in the first quarter of 2025.

In contrast, South Africa brought in 4.2 million tonnes over the same period, cementing its status as the continent’s biggest fuel importer.

“Nigerian imports are dropping as a result of the continued operation of Dangote,” said Elitsa Georgieva, Executive Director at CITAC.

“Since the beginning of this year, South African imports have been consistently the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Crude throughput across sub-Saharan African refineries rose by 77.8 per cent year-on-year in 2024, jumping from an average of 382,500 barrels per day in 2023 to 680,100 barrels per day in 2024. This leap was almost entirely driven by the Dangote plant.”

The development marks a significant milestone for Nigeria, which has for decades paradoxically relied on imported fuel despite being Africa’s top crude oil producer.

The report further estimated that Nigeria’s total refined fuel imports for 2025 will fall to 6.4 million tonnes, less than half of South Africa’s projected 15.5 million tonnes.

“The Nigerian market has undergone major product flow changes since mid-2023. The long-awaited 650 kb/d Dangote refinery near Lagos began operations in January 2024, steadily ramping up throughput and streaming secondary units throughout the year. Output from the Dangote refinery has displaced the bulk of international clean products imports in West Africa,” the report explained.

The Dangote refinery has become a major source of petroleum product offtake and has ramped up to 550,000 barrels of refining capacity per day. While Nigeria’s imports are on the decline, South Africa’s dependence on foreign fuel is deepening.

Its growing reliance on imported fuels stems from a sharp decline in its refining capacity. Industrial accidents, ageing infrastructure, and chronic underinvestment have forced the shutdown of several facilities since 2020.

Transnet SOC Ltd, South Africa’s state-owned logistics company, reports that imports now meet over 60 per cent of national fuel demand. The situation worsened in 2022 when the country’s largest refinery, Sapref, a joint venture between Shell Plc and BP Plc, was idled.

Although the government acquired the plant in 2023 in a bid to restart operations, no relaunch date has been confirmed. “South Africa’s infrastructure is mature, but its refining shortfall is now attracting foreign traders who can bridge the gap,” said an industry executive involved in the Shell divestment talks.

Analysts say Nigeria’s reduced import dependency could support the naira, relieve pressure on foreign exchange reserves, and narrow trade deficits. The shift also has fiscal implications for the government, which has historically spent heavily on subsidising imported fuel.

Meanwhile, Swiss-based oil trader Mocoh has said it’s undergoing a strategic overhaul as the Dangote refinery reshapes fuel supply dynamics across West Africa, disrupting traditional trade routes and prompting a shift in business models.

For years, Mocoh built its core business around supplying premium motor spirit, popularly known as petrol, to Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil consumer, relying heavily on deals with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

However, that changed dramatically with the phased start-up of the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote refinery, which began supplying large volumes of fuel to the domestic market in 2024.

“In early 2025, we saw a paradigm shift,” said Olivier Lassagne, Mocoh’s new CEO, in an interview with Platts. “We lost most of our petrol trade with NNPC, but that’s pushed us to grow beyond our traditional niche and reposition for the future.”

Moscow, which has operated in Nigeria for nearly three decades, has found new footing by partnering with Dangote to export surplus fuel to regional markets like Benin, Cameroon and Burkina Faso.

Yet, competition is fierce. Dangote has so far favoured trading giants like Vitol, BP and Trafigura for major offtake deals, while newer players such as Afreximbank-backed Atmin are vying to expand intra-African flows.

“Dangote values flexibility and market pricing. They aren’t tying themselves down with exclusive partners,” Lassagne said, adding that Mocoh is positioning itself as a nimble regional player.

Punch

Renowned Kenyan author and academic Ngügĩ wa Thiong’o died on Wednesday at 87.

On Wednesday evening, his daughter, Wanjiku Wa Ngugi, posted on Facebook that the novelist had passed.

She wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngügĩ wa Thiong’o, this Wednesday morning, 28th May 2025.”

She spoke about her father’s legacy and last wish: “He lived a full life and fought a good fight. As was his last wish, let’s celebrate his life and work. Ria ratha na ria thua. Turi aira”

She further hinted that the family’s spokesperson, Nducu Wa Ngugi, will announce details of his celebration of life soon.

Ngugi, the literary icon

Ngugi, born on 5 January 1938, authored many books, novels, plays, short stories, and essays. Ngugi authored ‘Weep Not Child’, ‘The River Between’, ‘Petals of Blood and Wizard of the Crow’.

He was also popular for his literary style, children’s literature, and open criticism of social disorder. He was considered East Africa’s leading novelist.

He founded and edited Mutiri, a Gikuyu journal. His short story, ‘The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright’, was translated into 100 languages and sold worldwide.

Despite facing imprisonment and exile for criticising the dictatorial government in Kenya, he has remained an influential figure in African literature.

His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays on topics ranging from literary and social criticism to children’s literature.

In March 2024, Source, a Kenyan online newspaper, said Ngugi was suffering from kidney failure and was living alone and under the care of medical personnel at his house in California, US.

PT

Netanyahu says Hamas Gaza chief Mohammad Sinwar has been killed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas' Gaza chief and the younger brother of the Palestinian militant group's deceased leader and mastermind of the October 2023 attack, Yahya Sinwar, had been killed.

Mohammad Sinwar had been the target of an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza earlier this month and Netanyahu said on May 21 that it was likely he was dead.

The Israeli leader announced that Sinwar had been "eliminated" in an address to the Israeli parliament as he listed off names of other Hamas officials that Israel had killed over the past 20 months, including Sinwar's brother Yahya.

"In the last two days we have been in a dramatic turn towards a complete defeat of Hamas," he said, adding that Israel was also "taking control of food distribution", a reference to a new aid distribution system in Gaza managed by a U.S.-backed group.

Hamas has yet to confirm Sinwar's death.

Netanyahu's announcement comes as the Israeli military has intensified its war campaign in Gaza after breaking a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in March. Israel has said it aims to dismantle Hamas' governing and military capabilities and secure the release of hostages that are still held in Gaza.

The war erupted on October 7, 2023 when Hamas-led militants stormed out of Gaza, rampaging through southern Israeli communities and killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

More than 250 were captured and taken as hostages into Gaza.

Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has decimated the coastal territory, killing more than 53,000, according to health officials in Gaza, and displaced over 2 million Palestinians.

Gazan health officials have said most of those killed have been civilians but have not said how many militants have died. Israel believes it has killed tens of thousands of militants but has not provided any evidence to support those claims.

Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir on May 26 said Hamas had lost many assets, including its command and control centre.

Sinwar was elevated to the top ranks of the Palestinian militant group last year after Israel killed his brother Yahya in combat.

Yahya Sinwar masterminded the October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war, now in its 20th month, and was later named the overall leader of the group after Israel killed his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Work on Russian peace proposal to Ukraine ‘in final stage’ – Kremlin

Russia is close to finalizing its proposal to Ukraine that could lead to a conditional ceasefire and eventual negotiated settlement of the conflict, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said.

Moscow and Kiev are working on separate versions of a memorandum outlining a framework for peace. The Russian draft is “in the final stage,”Peskov told reporters during a regular press briefing on Wednesday.

He noted that Russia continues to keep its diplomatic proposals confidential and will not release details publicly. Peskov rejected a report by Reuters claiming that Moscow wants any peace agreement to include a NATO pledge ruling out future membership for Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries, such as Moldova and Georgia.

“How do you even imagine us discussing Georgia at talks with Ukraine?” he said.

Peskov also addressed a recent call by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky for a three-way meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. While some kind of a summit might conclude the negotiations, it cannot replace them, Peskov said. Zelensky has said he is open to meeting Putin in any third country, except Belarus.

In separate remarks, Peskov underscored that diplomacy is continuing alongside military operations. He said both parties are currently working to “formulate the list of conditions for a temporary ceasefire” that should be included in the final peace memorandum.

Initially, Kiev and its European supporters insisted that no talks could occur unless Russia agreed to a 30-day pause in fighting. Moscow rejected the demand, calling it a tactic to give Ukrainian forces relief. Under pressure from Washington, Kiev revised its stance, resulting in the first direct diplomatic engagement between Russia and Ukraine since 2022.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Many Ukrainians baulk at conceding land to Russia, entangling nascent peace process

Mariupol natives Oleksandr and Liudmyla Lytvyn fled home three years ago during Russia's 86-day siege of the port city in southern Ukraine. Now they are following peace talks between the warring countries anxiously, fearing they may never return.

Mariupol, home to more than 400,000 people before the full-scale invasion, was seized by Russian forces in May 2022 when the city's last defenders were ordered to surrender, ending one of the bloodiest chapters of the war.

"We lived our entire life in Mariupol. I believe until the very last that it will be Ukrainian. I do not know how," Liudmyla, 65, a retired teacher, told Reuters.

Her longing to see occupied land back under Ukrainian control is widely shared, presenting a challenge to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as he comes under pressure to consider territorial concessions under any peace agreement with Russia.

Ukraine has given no indication it is willing to do so, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has pushed Kyiv to cede not only occupied territory but also land not controlled by Moscow, while the United States has said loss of land seems inevitable.

More than three years into its full-scale invasion, Russia controls nearly one fifth of Ukraine and its troops are making incremental but steady gains in the east.

Zelenskiy himself has acknowledged that Ukraine cannot recapture all of its lost territory through military force, but wants to settle the issue through diplomacy.

Oleksandr, 65, said the issue of what Ukraine may have to give up in return for peace depends not only on Kyiv.

"The issue here is whether there are any limits on weapons," he said, referring to doubts over whether the U.S. will continue military support for Ukraine now that Donald Trump is in the White House and moving closer to Russia.

"It depends not only on Zelenskiy but also on other matters, weapons in particular," Oleksandr added, sitting next to his wife in a dormitory in the central city of Dnipro where they have moved temporarily.

Without U.S. military backing, Ukraine's position in negotiations would be significantly weakened.

RARE DIRECT TALKS

This month Kyiv and Moscow held their first direct talks since 2022, yielding little progress on ending the war.

After a subsequent phone call between Trump and Putin, the U.S. president appeared to withdraw from efforts to mediate peace, leaving Ukraine exposed against a larger enemy.

For displaced residents of Mariupol - the largest Ukrainian city to fall to the Russians since 2022 - that raises concerns not only about territorial concessions but also over whether justice will be served.

Vadym Boichenko, Mariupol's mayor-in-exile, said his team gathered evidence showing at least 22,000 civilians were killed in nearly three months of fighting that reduced a city once famous for its vibrant port and giant steel plants to rubble.

Human Rights Watch, along with Truth Hounds and SITU Research, estimated 8,000 people died from fighting or war-related causes, although it could not establish how many were civilians and said the true count may be significantly higher.

Reuters could not independently verify estimates of the death toll.

Russia pounded Mariupol with artillery, rockets and missiles and cut off access to electricity, heating, fresh water, food and medical supplies - creating a humanitarian catastrophe, Boichenko added.

"All we ask for is recognition (of the alleged crimes) and punishment," Boichenko said in Kyiv in one of the 'IMariupol' centres set up in 22 cities across Ukraine to help displaced residents with basic needs.

Russia's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment on this article.

Russia says it liberated the city from Ukrainian "neo-Nazis", using one of the main justifications for its invasion that Kyiv and its allies dismiss as absurd.

Moscow-installed authorities have overseen a major reconstruction programme in Mariupol, and hold it up as a symbol of the benefits of Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian regions as well as the Crimean peninsula.

Russia blames Ukraine's armed forces for the city's destruction, alleging they used the local population as human shields. Ukraine rejects that accusation.

SWEEPING DEMANDS

Moscow has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from four Ukrainian regions where fighting is raging, even though it does not control all of them.

The overwhelming majority of Ukrainians - 82% - reject those demands, according to an opinion poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology conducted in May.

Slightly more than half of the population - 51% - would support a compromise with a de-facto recognition of currently occupied territories in exchange for robust security guarantees from Europe and the U.S., even though the latter has indicated it would not provide them.

But about 40% considered this unacceptable, raising questions over how Ukraine and Russia can break the deadlock in a nascent peace process.

"It is not fair to leave them what they took away. It is our land," said Dmytro, 35, who had settled in Mariupol after being forced to leave the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk in 2015.

Dmytro, now also based in Dnipro but concerned he might have to flee again, declined to give his last name as his mother and grandmother still live in the occupied Donetsk region.

"What we lived through in Mariupol is horror," he said, recollecting how he shielded his son, now 10, from bombardment and cooked food on open fires in the streets. He fled Mariupol in March 2022.

RT/Reuters