ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday with, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaling that bridges have not yet been burned on a US mineral deal with Kyiv, the directors of the No Other Land documentary urging the world to take action to stop injustice against Palestinians and South Carolina’s governor declaring a State of Emergency as wildfires prompt mass evacuations.
TOP STORIES
- Ukraine ready to sign minerals deal with US: Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country is ready to sign a minerals deal with the United States.
“It is our policy to continue what happened in the past. We’re constructive,” he said, adding: “If we agreed to sign the minerals deal, we’re ready to sign it.”
Earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CBS News that a minerals deal between the US and Ukraine could not be signed "without a peace deal" with Russia.
Asked about the future of the agreement, as the White House is signaling the need for a compromise, Zelenskyy told reporters at London's Stansted Airport that the minerals deal is ready for the relevant minister’s signature.
On the London summit on Ukraine and the goals for security guarantees, Zelenskyy said the country’s strongest security guarantee is “a strong Ukrainian army,” a view he believes that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer shares.
- Directors of No Other Land urge world to take action to stop injustice against Palestinians
The directors of No Other Land, a documentary depicting life in a West Bank village under Israeli military occupation, which won an Oscar for best documentary feature at the 97th Academy Awards, urged the world to take action to stop injustice against the Palestinian people.
"We call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people,” co-director Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist from Masafer Yatta in the West Bank, said in an acceptance speech.
"About two months ago, I became a father, and my hope to my daughter (is) she will not have to live the same life I am living now,” Adra noted.
Yuval Abraham, an Israeli investigative journalist and co-director of No Other Land, referred to Adra as his “brother” but lamented that they are considered “unequal.”
“We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together our voices are stronger,” Abraham noted, adding: “We see each other. The atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people must end.”
- South Carolina’s governor declares state of emergency as wildfires prompt mass evacuations
Gov. Henry McMaster declared a State of Emergency on Sunday as a series of wildfires raged across the US state of South Carolina.
Firefighters are actively working to control the blazes, NBC News reported.
A video shared on social media captured an orange sky as a wildfire raged through Carolina Forest in the Myrtle Beach area. Another video showed smoke and debris filling the air from a fire burning in a backyard in the nearby Red Hill area.
McMaster said that more than 175 wildfires are currently burning across South Carolina in several counties including Horry, Spartanburg, Union, Oconee and Pickens, affecting a total of 4,200 acres.
"This State of Emergency ensures that our first responders, who are working tirelessly and risking their lives to protect our communities from these wildfires, have the resources they need,” McMaster noted in a statement.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- Jordan has rejected any moves that could jeopardize Sudan’s unity, including efforts to form a "parallel government," which would hamper the settlement of the crisis there.
- Calm has been restored to the densely populated suburb of Jaramana near the Syrian capital Damascus, local sources told Anadolu.
- Japan's worst wildfires in more than three decades raged unabated as firefighters backed by military helicopters continued to struggle to contain the blazes, which are burning thousands of hectares of land every day, local media reported.
- The UN has assured Bangladesh’s transitional government of technical support as it seeks to document the atrocities committed against protesters from some Islamic groups during deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s regime.
- Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt urged Syria’s Druze community to remain vigilant against Israeli “plots.”
- The Gaza Government Media Office reported that there is a severe shortage of shelter supplies for displaced residents.
- Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree to form a committee of experts tasked with drafting a constitutional declaration for the country's transitional phase following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
- Pope Francis spent Sunday calmly after a respiratory crisis and deterioration in his breathing earlier in the week and his condition is stabilizing, according to the Vatican.
- Israel plans to implement an escalatory strategy against the Gaza Strip within a week, including cutting off electricity, assassinations and displacing Palestinians from northern to southern Gaza, Israeli sources said.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Palestinian group Hamas has “put forward positions for a permanent ceasefire that are totally unacceptable” while warning it of “further steps” if it continues holding Israeli hostages.
- Arab nations condemned Israel’s decision to block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, calling it a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and international law.
- US National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard said that President Donald Trump is “committed to peace” but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “has different aims in mind.”
- Tajikistan held general elections to elect members of parliament and local councils, with more than 5.5 million registered voters eligible to cast their ballots across 3,513 polling stations nationwide.
- Three-time Russian Olympic wrestling champion Buvaisar Saitiev died at 49 in Moscow, the Russian state news agency TASS reported.
- German Social Democrats (SPD) won state elections in Hamburg, providing a much-needed boost to their morale after the general election defeat they suffered last week.
- Assessing the summit in London on Ukraine, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized the importance of Türkiye’s contribution toward both “a potential peace agreement in Ukraine and to the reconstruction of the European Security Architecture.”
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed plans to create a "coalition of the willing" to enforce any peace deal in Ukraine, with the UK set to take a leading role in this international effort
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for urgent action to rearm Europe, emphasizing the need for a significant increase in defense investments to address growing security concerns on the continent.
SPORTS
- NBA roundup: Rockets fall to Kings despite Alperen Sengun’s 30-point effort
The Sacramento Kings secured a 113-103 victory over the Houston Rockets, despite a stellar performance from Turkish star Alperen Sengun, who scored 30 points.
Sengun, who played nearly 37 minutes, also recorded 10 rebounds, five assists and one block, making him the standout performer for the Rockets.
For the Kings, DeMar DeRozan’s 21 points and Zach LaVine’s 20 points played a crucial role in securing the team’s 31st win of the season.
The Kings faced an early setback when Domantas Sabonis, who was averaging 19.9 points, 14.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game, sustained a hamstring injury in the first quarter and was forced to leave the game.
- NBA fines Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards $35,000 for post-ejection conduct
The NBA fined Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards $35,000 for not promptly exiting the court after being ejected from a recent game and for throwing the ball into the stands.
Edwards "has been fined $35,000 for failing to leave the court in a timely manner following his ejection and throwing the game ball into the spectator stands, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations," the league said in a statement.
The incident took place Thursday after Edwards received his second technical foul during the Timberwolves' 111-102 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
Edwards, a three-time All-Star who is just 23 years old, has averaged 27.3 points, six rebounds and 4.6 assists in 58 games this season.
