Event: Ukrainians

Former President Barack Obama, centre, joined by Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed, left, and Democratic gubernatorial nominee and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, raise hands during a campaign event at Cass Technical High School Saturday, October 24, 2026, in Detroit. | Photo Credit: AP Former U.S. President Barack Obama delivered scathing criticisms of his successor, Donald Trump, at rallies on Saturday (October 24, 2026) in Ohio and Michigan to support Democratic candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.Democrats are attempting to wrest back control of one or both chambers of the U.S. Congress, which are currently controlled by Mr. Trump’s Republican party.The former President retains considerable popularity among the Democratic base, which he is keen to leverage to support his Democratic Party’s candidates.In both states, the 65-year-old former President blamed the Trump administration for the rising cost of living, a top voter concern amid soaring fuel prices.“The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions,” Mr. Obama said in Ohio, where he rallied in support of former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown.“Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for.”“After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence, the likes of which we have not seen in the modern era, you get a chance to say, ‘Enough is enough,’” Mr. Obama declared in Cleveland. “We are voting for change right here in Ohio.”Later, in Michigan, Mr. Obama campaigned for Abdul El-Sayed, from the party’s left wing, who is in a close race with Republican Mike Rogers for the US Senate.“Imagine the power duo of Abdul and Elissa,” Mr. Obama said, referring to the incumbent Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin, who is not up for election this year.“You got a Muslim man, you got a Jewish woman fighting for you in…

Former US president Barack Obama has accused Donald Trump of "starting an unnecessary war that nobody asked for". "The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions," Obama said in Ohio, where he rallied in support of former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown. "Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for," he said, according to AFP. "After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence, the likes of which we have not seen in the modern era, you get a chance to say, 'Enough is enough,'" Obama declared in Cleveland. "We are voting for change right here in Ohio." Iran war, he said, is “the reason why the price of just about everything is up”. “Iran didn’t have nuclear weapons because I had put a deal in place that everybody acknowledged kept them from getting nukes. And I didn’t have to fire a missile to do it. I just had to engage in diplomacy.” “Iran now has veto power over the Strait of Hormuz, where oil goes through to the world market,” the former president said. “This is the reason why the price of oil is up. This is the reason why the price of diesel is up. This is the reason why the price of just about everything is up.” Under the 2015 deal with Iran, officially called the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to restrict the enrichment of uranium and subject itself to inspections in exchange for the relaxation of sanctions. Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, during his first term.

The former US border patrol chief who became the public face of the highly controversial deportation drive in Minneapolis earlier this year has defended the operation, describing the withdrawal of agents from the city as a "surrender" by the Trump administration.Greg Bovino also told the BBC that he was "not responding" to a lawsuit filed by the family of a woman shot dead during the operation. He appeared to dismiss the legal action, praising the officers deployed to Minneapolis and saying "people do lawsuits all the time".Bovino, 56, was removed from his role shortly after the fatal shootings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January.The two shootings, which were captured on video, triggered a bipartisan backlash and widespread protests. US President Donald Trump then said he was "going to de-escalate a little bit" and withdrew hundreds of immigration agents from the city.Earlier this month, Good's family filed two civil lawsuits against the Trump administration over her killing, alleging wrongful death and a conspiracy to interfere with the civil rights of protesters.One of the lawsuits names several top officials, including Bovino and Jonathan Ross, the agent who shot Good, "for their respective individual roles in the operation that led to Renee's death". It alleges that the government's operation in Minneapolis created "an unprecedented environment for state-sponsored violence".Asked about Bovino's remarks, the family's lawyers said he was "spewing propaganda" and could not be "judge, jury and executioner". They added: "Our legal team looks forward to the depositions of Mr Bovino and all of the defendants in this matter".A White House spokeswoman previously called the lawsuits "baseless".Speaking in Detroit, where he was campaigning for tougher immigration enforcement, Bovino said the administration "threw the towel in" and called for more deportations, which he said were now at a "virtual standstill".He added…

Ukraine's top negotiator involved in a humanitarian mission led by U.S. first lady Melania Trump told The Associated Press that a local ceasefire with Russia will start Tuesday (October 27, 2026) — two days before the mission begins — and last several days.Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. negotiators reached a deal on Friday (October 23, 2026) to provide humanitarian assistance in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, in the war-divided region of Kherson in southern Ukraine.Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian ombudsman and his country's chief negotiator in the talks, said the ceasefire would take effect across the Kherson region and neighbouring areas essential to the operation. He added that the initiative could act as a model for future humanitarian missions.The White House said Melania Trump had initiated discussions after learning about the situation during an event she hosted during last month's UN General Assembly session. It said she and a representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire. Russian officials also confirmed the arrangement.Mr. Lubinets earlier on Friday (October 23, 2026) thanked Melania Trump for her involvement and said the deal would be tough to accomplish. He said the agreement calls for a ceasefire, followed by the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid. Lastly, civilians will be allowed to leave Oleshky, he said in a video message posted online."The operation will be carried out gradually and is extremely challenging to implement," Mr. Lubinets said.The removal of mines comes firstMr. Lubinets said the operation would involve removing mines on the way to Oleshky before the physical delivery of humanitarian aid and the arranging of evacuations.He gave no further details on how the ceasefire or the aid mission would be monitored or implemented, citing the sensitivity of the negotiations. He declined to comment when asked if Melania Trump would…

With about 10 days left for the U.S. midterm elections on November 3, talk of a Democratic wave has shifted from opinion polls to voting reality. Every major forecast now predicts the Democrats will win the House of Representatives. Statistician Nate Silver gives them a 75% chance of winning the Senate, which Republicans held strongly just a month ago. The Grand Old Party faces five main problems: a President who is a liability, weak candidates, money not swaying voters, fissures in their heartland, and a party base turning against its own.A President on the defensiveLet us begin with the President. Midterms are often a verdict on the White House. Donald Trump has made this election about himself, telling crowds to “pretend I’m on the ballot”. His approval rating is below 40%. In September, he told Republicans in tight races that he would visit “every one of those 35 places”. But he has campaigned in fewer than a third. Most stops have been in States he won easily, such as Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee, and Montana, which he said was his way “to thank them”. When a President rallies supporters in States that he won by huge margins two years earlier instead of margin seats, it conveys a hint of desperation.Also read | U.S. midterms — Donald Trump’s test, India’s stakesThe next issue is candidate quality. Texas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988. This year, the Republican nominee is Ken Paxton, who was impeached by the Texas House in 2023 and later acquitted by the State Senate. He was also observed partying in 2025 in Dubai with two Pakistani-American federal fugitives who were also his donors. His Democratic opponent, James Talarico, a former teacher and State legislator, was leading by two points in a Fox News poll (but…

The Trump administration is lifting some of its 50% tariffs on Canadian goods two weeks before the midterm elections, after a Republican candidate in a key US Senate race said she had lobbied for the change.From 30 October, tariffs will be eased on products including "plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery and refrigeration equipment", the White House said on Friday.Republican Senator Susan Collins, who is in a tight race to keep her seat in Maine, first announced the exemptions, saying they would help her state's agriculture industry.The US imposed a 50% levy on $20bn (£15bn) worth of Canadian goods after trade talks between the two countries collapsed in August.Canada has imposed a series of countermeasures in response to the US tariffs, which Prime Minister Mark Carney said were "necessary to protect our workers". Last month, Carney matched the US tariffs "dollar for dollar" after the breakdown in talks. Trump had imposed them for what he called "unequal treatment" of US car, dairy and alcohol exports.The White House said that, while tariffs would be lifted from some items, including some packing crates and boxes, they would be introduced on other items such as carpets and "waste products".It said the action reflected US President Donald Trump's "continued efforts to defend American workers and ensure fair trade".She wrote on X that the tariff exemptions were on products that were "crucial to Maine's agricultural industries, including blueberry, potato, apple, and seaweed producers".Collins' Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, responded: "Trump's trade wars have made life harder and more expensive for Mainers. Susan Collins enabled this chaos, voted to confirm the people behind it and now wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put out the fire."Maine borders the Canadian provinces New Brunswick and Quebec. Its economy, as well as that of other border…

Ukrainians held alongside freed US prisoner Stephen Hubbard have said they witnessed him being beaten and humiliated by Russian guards during his four-year detention.Dmytro Khyliuk first met Hubbard at the Novozybkov prison in Bryansk, not far from Russia's border with Ukraine, in September 2022."We heard it from the guards. They came during inspections and were asking: in which cell is the American? And then they used obscene words. They threatened him, they mocked him from the first days."Ihor Shyshko also remembers Hubbard's arrival at the jail and says his nationality marked him out to the officers."It attracted such attention because they mocked him, forced him to learn the Russian language, sing the national anthem and repeat the rules of the prison schedule, which he could not read."Hubbard was captured in April 2022, when Russian soldiers occupied the eastern city of Izyum, where he was living with his Ukrainian partner. He was accused of serving in Ukraine's armed forces and convicted in a trial in Moscow before being sentenced to six years and 10 months. Shyshko and Khyliuk were held alongside Hubbard as he awaited trial.Shyshko said he witnessed and heard Hubbard being beaten by prison guards and electrocuted with a stun gun. "They beat him on the legs, on the back, on the arms," he said. "Of course, they didn't give him food, they didn't give him medical care. They kept him in the cold."He was always treated more harshly, because he was an American. They claimed he was a mercenary, and said 'let's beat him'."Shyshko, a captured Ukrainian soldier, alleges Hubbard was subjected to sexual humiliation and abuse for the entertainment of the prison staff.Accounts from the two former Ukrainian prisoners corroborate statements made by Hubbard's family that he was tortured in prison.The 74-year-old was released by the Kremlin…

Melania Trump helps broker ceasefire in Russian-occupied town where residents were starving to deathSmoke rises from a residential neighborhood in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in the Kherson region of Ukraine on 22 September 2026. (Ukrainian 34th Separate Marine Brigade “Borysfen” via AP) Photograph: Ukrainian 34th Separate Marine Brigade “Borysfen”/APThe White House has issued a statement saying Melania Trump has helped broker a ‘ceasefire’ in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, where residents have been enduring a worsening humanitarian crisis due to the lack of food, electricity and other resources.The small town in southern Kherson has been the centre of an increasingly desperate humanitarian crisis under Russian occupation.Since May, Russia has failed to deliver food, medicine or other essential goods to the area leading to deaths from starvation and disease. There has also been problems with the burial of bodies and sanitation, as the local morgue has been destroyed and there is no running water. Russia and Ukraine have accused the other of blocking supplies to the population of the ⁠town ​which Ukrainian forces ​want to retake. Ukraine has previously appealed for a ceasefire to evacuate the estimated 2,000 civilians left in the town – but Russia hadn’t made any commitments.Earlier this week, Pope Leo called for an intervention while the Kremlin said Putin had discussed the situation with Donald Trump.The White House now say both countries have agreed to pause military action “to allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway. A ceasefire is set to come into effect on 29 October.Map“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the ⁠brink of disaster. Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised ​primarily ​of elderly residents ​who urgently need medical attention, medicine, ​food, and ‌clean water,” Melania ​Trump ​said in…

The White House has said that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, where a deepening humanitarian crisis has left thousands of civilians struggling to survive.In a statement on Friday, the White House said both sides had agreed to halt all military operations in the city from 27 October to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and preparations for the evacuation of civilians.Residents of the southern Ukrainian city, which has been under Russian occupation since February 2022, have described increasingly desperate conditions amid severe shortages of food, water and electricity. An estimated 2,000 people remain in the city, with some reportedly forced to survive on weeds, boiled grass, bread and meagre rations.Both Russian and Ukrainian officials said all sides were close to agreeing to a ceasefire.Map showing location of OleshkyThe White House statement said the ceasefire was brokered by Melania Trump, and her representative worked directly with ​Russian and Ukrainian ‌leadership to define the ​terms. “Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” the first lady said.Despite the claim the ceasefire had been brokered by Melania Trump, there had already been protracted efforts to organise a humanitarian ceasefire, with claims by Ukrainian officials that it had been Russia that had rejected previous calls.Calls for a ceasefire had been issued by Pope Leo XIV – who discussed the issue with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy – the United Nations, EU officials and the Council of Europe. As recently as 18 October, Ukraine’s ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, had also said he thought agreement was close without any mention of the first lady’s involvement.Ukraine has for weeks been pushing for a civilian evacuation from Oleshky and nearby settlements, at…