While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, May 12, 2025
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Security personnel in the city of Jammu, in Indian-controlled Kashmir, on May 11.
PHOTO: ATUL LOKE/NYTIMES
Indian military warns Pakistan against ceasefire violations
The Indian military sent a “hotline message” to Pakistan on May 11 about violations of a ceasefire agreed this week and informed it of New Delhi’s intent to respond if it was repeated, a top Indian army officer said.
India's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) was speaking as a fragile 24-hour-old ceasefire appeared to be holding after both sides blamed the other for initial violations on May 10 night.
The truce announced on May 10 followed four days of intense fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours. In the worst fighting in nearly three decades, they fired missiles and drones at each other's military installations, killing almost 70 people.
Diplomacy and pressure from the United States helped secure the ceasefire deal when it seemed that the conflict was spiralling alarmingly. But within hours of its coming into force, artillery fire was witnessed in Indian Kashmir, the centre of much of last week’s fighting.
Hamas to release Edan Alexander, last living US hostage in Gaza
Hamas said it would release a US-Israeli hostage held in Gaza as the group revealed it was engaged in direct talks with the United States towards a ceasefire in the war-battered territory.
“Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a dual US national, will be released as part of efforts towards a ceasefire” and the reopening of aid crossings, the Palestinian militant group said in a statement.
The family of 21-year-old Alexander said they had been informed that he might be released “in the coming days”.
Zelensky offers to meet Putin ‘personally’ for Ukraine peace talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 11 he would be willing to meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Turkey “personally”, after US President Donald Trump said direct talks were needed to determine whether peace was possible.
The Kremlin did not immediately respond to Mr Zelensky’s offer, and the Ukrainian leader did not say whether he would still attend if Russia refused a 30-day ceasefire proposed by Kyiv and its allies on May 10.
Moscow and Kyiv have not held face-to-face negotiations since March 2022, shortly after the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of that year.
US and China hail ‘progress’ after trade talks end in Geneva
The United States and China on May 11 said progress had been made after a weekend of talks aimed at de-escalating trade tensions sparked by President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff rollout.
The increasingly ugly trade spat between Washington and Beijing has rocked financial markets and raised fears of a global economic slowdown, and an inflationary spike in the United States.
“We’ve made substantial progress between the United States and China in the very important trade talks,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters in Geneva after the second day of discussions had concluded.
Poland blames Russian secret service for 2024 Warsaw shopping centre fire
Russian secret services were behind a massive fire that nearly completely destroyed a Warsaw shopping centre in May 2024, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on May 11 after a year of investigation into the case.
"We already know for sure that the large fire on Marywilska was the result of arson ordered by Russian services. The actions were coordinated by a person staying in Russia. Some of the perpetrators are already in custody, the rest have been identified and are being sought," Mr Tusk said on X.
Poland has been a target of sabotage actions, which officials said have been part of a "hybrid war" being waged by Russia to destabilise the functioning of countries that support Ukraine in the war with Russia, involving tactics like arson and cyberattacks.
