logo
Ukraine and Russia exchange POWs in latest swap

Ukraine and Russia exchange POWs in latest swap

Reuters19-06-2025
KYIV, June 19 (Reuters) - Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners of war on Thursday, officials from both countries said, the latest round of swaps under an agreement struck in Istanbul.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted images of the freed Ukrainian troops, smiling and draped in the national flag, most of whom had been held captive since the early months of Russia's February 2022 invasion, he said.
The Ukrainian POWs exchanged on Thursday were sick or injured, according to Kyiv's coordinating council for POWs. The Russian POWs would also be sent for treatment and rehabilitation, Moscow's defence ministry said.
Neither Ukraine nor Russia, whose talks on ending the war have yielded few results besides the exchange of prisoners or remains, provided an exact figure of how many POWs had been exchanged.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Minister demands overhaul of UK's leading AI institute
Minister demands overhaul of UK's leading AI institute

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

Minister demands overhaul of UK's leading AI institute

The technology secretary has demanded an overhaul of the UK's leading artificial intelligence institute in a wide-ranging letter that calls for a switch in focus to defence and national security, as well as leadership changes. Peter Kyle said it was clear further action was needed to ensure the government-backed Alan Turing Institute met its full potential. In a letter to ATI's chair, seen by the Guardian, Kyle said the institute should be changed to prioritise defence, national security and 'sovereign capabilities' – a reference to nation states being able to control their own AI technology. The call for new priorities implies a downgrading of ATI's focus on health and the environment, which are two of three core subjects for the institute, alongside defence and security, under its 'Turing 2.0' strategy. 'Moving forward, defence and national security projects should form a core of ATI's activities, and relationships with the UK's security, defence, and intelligence communities should be strengthened accordingly,' Kyle wrote. Making clear that the Turing 2.0 strategy did not meet government requirements, Kyle indicated that he expected leadership changes at ATI. 'To realise this vision, it is imperative that the ATI's leadership reflects the institute's reformed focus,' he wrote. 'While we acknowledge the success of the current leadership in delivering reform at the institute during a difficult period, careful consideration should be given to the importance of an executive team who possesses a relevant background and sector knowledge to lead this transition.' ATI is chaired by Doug Gurr, the former head of Amazon's UK operations and interim chair of the UK's competition watchdog. The institute is going through a restructuring under the chief executive, Jean Innes,which one in five staff have said puts ATI's credibility in 'serious jeopardy'. At the end of last year, ATI employed 440 staff, but it has since launched a redundancy process. Although the institute is nominally independent, it recently secured £100m from the government in a five-year funding deal. The letter said ATI's 'longer-term funding arrangement' could be reviewed next year. The government would maintain its current level of research and development from national security and defence for the next three years, Kyle wrote, and would increase the number of defence and national security staff embedded in the institute. Dame Wendy Hall, a professor of computer science at the University of Southampton and the co-chair of a 2017 government AI review, said ATI would cease to be a national institute under the government's proposed changes. Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion 'If the institute focuses on defence and security it ceases to be a national institute on AI,' Hall said. 'It's not broad enough. If the government wants an AI institute that does defence and security then it should just call it that.' In February, the government indicated a focus on national security with its AI strategy by renaming its AI Safety Institute, established under the premiership of Rishi Sunak, the AI Security Institute. Kyle's letter also referred to the government's 50-point AI action plan as a 'testament' to the UK's AI ambitions, The plan's targets include a 20-fold increase in the amount of AI computing power under public control by 2030, and embedding AI in the public sector. ATI has been approached for comment.

What Rod Stewart has said about his split from ex-wife
What Rod Stewart has said about his split from ex-wife

The Independent

timean hour ago

  • The Independent

What Rod Stewart has said about his split from ex-wife

Rod Stewart reflected on his marriage to Rachel Hunter, admitting their 24-year age gap ultimately caused their relationship to end. Stewart met Hunter in 1990 when she was 21 and he was 45, marrying three months later before separating in 1999 and officially divorcing in 2006. Despite his heartbreak, Stewart met his current wife, Penny Lancaster, the day after his split from Hunter in 1999. Stewart and Lancaster married in 2007 and have two children, with Stewart noting Lancaster has become 'more bossy' since becoming a special constable. The musician has recently drawn attention for his public support of the Reform party and its leader, Nigel Farage.

Russia cannot lose war in Ukraine, warns China
Russia cannot lose war in Ukraine, warns China

Telegraph

timean hour ago

  • Telegraph

Russia cannot lose war in Ukraine, warns China

Russia cannot afford to lose the war in Ukraine, China has warned. Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, said Beijing does not want to see a Russian loss because of fears the United States would then shift its focus on to China. The comments were made during a four-hour meeting between Mr Wang and Kaja Kallas, the vice-president of the European Commission, according to several sources who spoke to the South China Morning Post. The remarks took many by surprise as Chinese officials do not often speak this candidly, even in closed-door meetings. According to those familiar with the conversation, Mr Wang also gave Ms Kallas several 'history lessons and lectures' about realpolitik and concerns in Beijing that Washington will gradually turn its attention east. There are signs that this change is already underway as Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defence, have both made clear that security in the Indo-Pacific region and mitigating a threat from China is a top priority for the administration. China has repeatedly said that it is 'not a party' to Russia's war against Ukraine and has denied supplying weapons to Moscow, despite evidence to the contrary, including reports that it supplied Russia with a laser defence system. Mr Wang's comments are the latest sign that China has a vested interest in the outcome of the war. Following the exchange, Chinese state media reported that China has 'consistently advocated for peace talks to solve the Ukraine crisis' and welcomed the 'efforts of all parties to reach a comprehensive, lasting and binding peace agreement'. The remarks came after the US halted weapons shipments to Ukraine because of concerns that America's stockpile is too low. In a blow to Kyiv, the White House said it will ' put America's interests first following a review of the nation's military support and assistance to other countries across the globe'. While those familiar with Mr Wang's meeting with Ms Kallas said it was respectful, soon after it was reported that the upcoming two-day EU summit in China had been shortened, at Beijing's request. The original agenda had Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, the president of the European Council, meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping and premier Li Qiang in Beijing on July 24, then travelling to Hefei, in central China, for a business summit on July 25. Now, the summit will only be one day in Beijing. Experts suspect the reason the summit was cut short could be because of Chinese concerns that the EU will sign a trade deal with the US that would hurt Beijing. China has also recently clashed with the EU over export controls of rare earth elements and magnets, which have hit some European manufacturers hard. Mr Wang tried to offer reassurances about export controls yesterday, saying that 'certain forces are deliberately hyping this matter' and that rare earth exports have never been and should not become an issue between China and Europe. The summit's shortening seemed to be a snap decision as the EU Chamber of Commerce in China was inviting members to sign up for meetings in Hefei as late as Thursday morning local time.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store