US President Donald Trump said his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, plans to travel to Washington later this week to sign a minerals deal.

Zelenskyy is reportedly planning to meet Trump in the White House on Friday after officials agreed on the terms of the draft deal. The US aims to jointly develop Ukraine's mineral resources.

Ukraine has previously stated that it seeks security guarantees from the US as part of the deal.

After lengthy negotiations, Ukraine has agreed on the terms of a minerals deal with the US, the Financial Times newspaper, Reuters, and AFP news agency reported, citing unnamed officials. 

The Trump administration had been pushing Kyiv towards an agreement on the deal, which has been a source of tension between Kyiv and Washington as Trump pursues bilateral talks with Russia on ending the war. 

IN the marbled halls of a luxury hotel, leading experts are discussing a new approach to an age-old problem: how to make it rain in the UAE, the wealthy Gulf state that lies in one of the world’s biggest deserts.
Decades of work and millions of dollars have been ploughed into easing endless drought in the oil-rich UAE, whose mainly expatriate population is soaring undeterred by a dry, hostile climate and hairdryer summer heat.
Despite the United Arab Emirates’ best efforts, rainfall remains rare.

February 25, 2025 

MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russia's President Vladimir Putin offered the U.S. the opportunity for joint exploration of the country's rare earth metals deposits, as well as the supply of aluminum to the U.S. domestic market, outlining a future economic deal between the two countries.

23 Feb, 2025

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has expressed his readiness to “exchange” his position for NATO membership and step down if it is necessary to achieve peace in Ukraine.

Speaking at the ‘Ukraine. Year 2025’ forum in Kiev on Saturday, Zelensky said he does not intend to remain in power for many years. 

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday that China and the United States should find the right way to get along.

SCIENTISTS have found specialized neurons in the brains of mice that order the animals to stop eating. Though many feeding circuits in the brain are known to play a role in monitoring food intake, scientists also believe that the neurons in those circuits do not make the final decision to cease eating a meal.
The neurons identified by the Columbia scientists, a new element of these circuits, are located in the brainstem, the oldest part of the vertebrate brain. Their discovery could lead to new treatments for obesity.

Kuthodaw Pagoda, nestled in the heart of Mandalay, Myanmar, stands as one of the world's most significant Buddhist monuments. Revered for its spiritual and historical importance, it is home to the world's largest book—a collection of 729 marble slabs meticulously inscribed with the entire Pali Canon of Theravāda Buddhism. This awe-inspiring site serves as a timeless testament to Myanmar’s deep-rooted devotion to Buddhism.

The Royal Thai Police (RTP) estimate that 10,000 foreign nationals will be rescued from call scam centres in Myanmar as authorities ramp up a crackdown on transnational crime syndicates near the Thai border.

RESEARCHERS have conducted one of the largest eye studies in the world to reveal new insights into retinal thickness, highlighting its potential in the early detection of diseases like type 2 diabetes, dementia and multiple sclerosis. 

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) led study used cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to analyse over 50,000 eyes and produced maps of the retina in unprecedented detail to better understand how retinal differences link to various diseases.