TOP NEWS

Russian invasion  Negotiations
Trump on Putin call: Made no progress

American attempts to achieve peace in Ukraine through diplomacy appear to have completely stalled. Donald Trump's phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday led nowhere, according to the American president.

- I made no progress whatsoever with him, Trump said, according to several media outlets.

The call lasted just under an hour and the two leaders spoke about a range of topics, including Iran, writes the New York Times. However, they did not touch on the fact that the US has recently stopped certain arms deliveries to Ukraine, writes The Guardian, referring to a transcript of the call distributed by Russia.

However, Trump commented on the ceasefire later on Thursday. He believes that President Joe Biden "emptied" the US arms stockpile by supporting Ukraine.

- We have to make sure we have enough for ourselves, he says, according to TT.

UK Politics
Analysis: Tears are dry – but challenges remain

The aftermath of the Chancellor’s tears in the House of Commons is being dissected by several British commentators. They note that Rachel Reeves, to make up for it, appeared persistently cheering when her boss, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, presented a care plan afterwards. Starmer, for his part, praised Reeves and made it clear that she is not going anywhere.

There have been rumours that she would be sacked after the government deviated from her budget proposal on welfare. But the end result seems to be that Starmer and Reeves are irrevocably tied to each other, writes The Times’s politics editor.

But it will take more than a fresh haircut and a happy photo opportunity to convince voters – and the markets – that all is well within the government, The Telegraph points out.

The Independent's Archie Mitchell is on the same track and writes that although Reeves managed to brush off the tears as a "bad day at work", the future may prove tough. The government's "farcical U-turn" on welfare cuts has left a £5 billion hole in its autumn budget, he writes.

Press freedom in the world
Concern as Slovakia's government tightens grip on media

Slovakia's nationalist president Robert Fico has tightened his grip on what he considers "hostile media" in the country since returning to power in 2023, writes AFP. Now there are increasing warnings that media freedom in the country is under threat.

In two years, the country has lost 21 places on Reporters Without Borders' press freedom index. And recently a number of journalists, including a well-known news anchor, resigned from the Markiza television channel in protest at the development. Markiza has been in Fico's firing line and, according to defectors, the channel is no longer independent.

– I can no longer identify with the values ​​that are conveyed, which benefit certain political parties and which have transformed a strong editorial staff into a megaphone for bland platitudes, says former employee Gabriela Kajtarova.