Ukraine peace talks held in Switzerland, Russia isn’t invited

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy played the starring role at a peace conference in Switzerland on Saturday aimed at shoring up support for Ukraine’s negotiating positions in its war with Russia with the backing of as many nations as possible. But some countries questioned the value of peace talks that did not involve negotiations between the warring sides. “There is no Russia here,” Zelenskyy said, explaining to dozens of world leaders gathering at an Alpine resort why Russia was not invited to the meeting. “Why? Because if Russia was interested in peace, there would be no war.” The two-day conference was attended by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

Protests against the far right held across France

Tens of thousands of demonstrators crowded onto French streets Saturday to denounce the rise of the country’s far-right political party and call on fellow citizens to block it from taking power in snap parliamentary elections set by President Emmanuel Macron. The protests, organized by the country’s five biggest labor unions, were widely supported by human rights associations, activists, artists and backers of a newly formed left-wing coalition of political parties, the New Popular Front. “For the first time since the Vichy regime, the extreme right could prevail again in France,” Olivier Faure, the leader of the Socialist Party, said while addressing the crowd in Paris.

Princess of Wales appears in public for first time since cancer diagnosis

Catherine, Princess of Wales, appeared in public Saturday for the first time since her cancer diagnosis, smiling while in a carriage with her three children as she took part in a parade to celebrate the birthday of her father-in-law, King Charles III. Her appearance was welcomed as a sign of improvement in her medical condition and a significant moment for the British royal family, which suffered another blow this year when Charles announced he, too, had cancer. However, when announcing late Friday that she was well enough to attend the events Saturday, the princess made it clear that her recovery still had some way to go.

Sweden and Iran exchange prisoners in breakthrough deal

Sweden and Iran carried out a prisoner exchange on Saturday, officials said, with Sweden freeing a former Iranian official convicted for his role in a mass execution in the 1980s while Iran released two Swedes being held there. The prisoner swap was mediated by Oman, the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “Omani efforts resulted in the two sides agreeing on a mutual release, as those released were transferred from Tehran and Stockholm,” it said.

Brazilian women march against bill tightening abortion ban

Thousands of women protested on Saturday against a bill advancing in Brazil’s conservative Congress that would equate abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy to homicide and establish sentences of six to 20 years in prison. The demonstrators marched along Sao Paulo’s main Paulista Avenue carrying banners rejecting the proposal, which they call the most repressive approach to women’s reproductive rights in decades.

The Dutchman who gets Nike and Lego into wartime Russia’s stores

Nike stopped selling its sportswear to Russia soon after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine over two years ago. But that hasn’t stopped footballstore.ru, an online sports retailer owned by Russia’s Zenit soccer club. Among the dozens of Nike-branded items the site offers are the U.S. sportswear maker’s Phantom GT2 Elite soccer boots, for 29,999 roubles, or around $330.

UK polls point to ‘electoral extinction’ for Prime Minister Sunak’s Conservatives

Three British opinion polls released late on Saturday presented a grim picture for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party, and one pollster warned that the party faced “electoral extinction” in July 4’s election. The polls come just over halfway through the election campaign, after a week in which both the Conservatives and Labour set out their manifestos, and shortly before voters begin to receive postal ballots.

CNN rules for first US presidential debate: no props, muted microphones

The first U.S. presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump on June 27 will include two commercial breaks, no props and muted microphones except when recognized to speak, CNN said Saturday. In May, the candidates agreed to face off in two debates including one this month that will be moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash in Atlanta, while the other on Sept. 10 will be hosted by ABC.

– By wire sources