News compact: Historic visit to Kyiv
The heads of state and government of Germany, France, and Great Britain have arrived in Kyiv for a joint visit. Mexico is suing Google over "Gulf of America." The most important points in brief.
The heads of state and government of Germany , France , and Great Britain have arrived in Ukraine for a joint visit. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz , French President Emmanuel Macron , and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in the capital Kyiv by train on Saturday morning. A meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is planned there.
With their visit, the heads of state and government intend to reaffirm the four countries' continued support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's war of aggression , as they emphasized in a joint statement. They called for a 30-day ceasefire in the conflict and declared their readiness to support peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Fighting between India and Pakistan appears to be escalatingThe conflict between India and Pakistan continues to escalate. India has attacked targets in Pakistan and claims these are attacks on terrorist infrastructure. Pakistani security sources previously reported that the Pakistani army had begun counterattacks against India after three of its air bases were attacked overnight.
The seven leading Western democracies ( G7 ) urged both India and Pakistan to exercise the greatest possible restraint. They called on the two countries to engage in direct dialogue and seek a peaceful solution . Since the re-emergence of the decades-old Kashmir conflict, the nuclear-armed powers India and Pakistan have accused each other of escalation.
Mourning for Margot FriedländerHolocaust survivor Margot Friedländer has died. The prominent contemporary witness of the persecution of Jews during the Nazi regime died in Germany's capital, Berlin, at the age of 103. Numerous leading politicians, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz, expressed their grief over Friedländer's death. In his message of condolence, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier emphasized that Friedländer "gave our country the gift of reconciliation."
Friedländer hid underground in Berlin during the Nazi extermination of the Jews, but was betrayed and deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. She survived, but her entire family was murdered in the Auschwitz extermination camp. Friedländer returned to Germany in her old age after decades as an emigrant in New York.
First discussion on tariffs between China and the USAThe US and China are negotiating their trade dispute in Switzerland . US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are meeting in Geneva with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who is responsible for trade issues.
US President Donald Trump had imposed a 145 percent tariff on most Chinese imports. China responded with a 125 percent tariff on many US goods. Before the talks in Geneva, Trump expressed a willingness to compromise , saying an 80 percent tariff on China was the right thing to do.
Mexico sues GoogleMexico has sued Google for renaming the entire Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America" on its map service. The search engine provider even went beyond US President Trump's decree to change the name, said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. The president did not specify when or in which court the lawsuit was filed.
Shortly after taking office, Trump decreed that the Gulf of Mexico should be called the "Gulf of America." According to Trump's decree, however, this only applies to the territorial waters of the United States, Sheinbaum said. The name Gulf of Mexico has been in use since the 16th century. The sea borders not only the U.S. states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, but also Mexico and Cuba .
Mass for Leo's inauguration planned for May 18The new Pope, Leo XIV, will be inaugurated with a solemn Mass in St. Peter's Square on May 18, the Vatican announced. The first of the weekly general audiences is scheduled for May 21.
American Robert Francis Prevost was elected by the cardinals on Thursday as the successor to the late Pope Francis . This makes the 69-year-old the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.
pg/ack/AR (dpa, afp, rtr, kna)
This article was created at 9:30 a.m. (CEST) and will not be updated further.
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