US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a Ukraine-Russia deal is “very close,” but European leaders were skeptical and Russian missiles continued to rain down on Kyiv.Trump, visibly frustrated at his failure to make good on last year’s election boast that he could quickly end the war, said “we’re getting very close to a deal.”An initial US plan which was heavily weighted in Russia’s favor has been replaced by one taking in more of Ukraine’s interests. And an official familiar with the new version told AFP that it was “significantly better.”However, US officials acknowledged that “delicate” issues remain.And French President Emmanuel Macron threw cold water on the idea of a rapid solution, stating that there is “clearly no Russian willingness” for a ceasefire or to discuss the new, more Ukraine-friendly proposal.Frantic discussions have been underway since the weekend when Ukrainian and US representatives huddled in Geneva to discuss Trump’s controversial, initial 28-point plan for settling the bloody conflict.Latest talks including US and Russian delegates were taking place in Abu Dhabi, US media reported. Leaders of a group of 30 countries supporting Ukraine also met by video on Tuesday.US negotiator Dan Driscoll emerged upbeat from meeting with Russian counterparts, his spokesman saying: “The talks are going well and we remain optimistic.”The White House cited “tremendous progress,” while cautioning “there are a few delicate but not insurmountable details that must be sorted out.”But the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, continued unabated.Powerful explosions rocked Kyiv beginning around 1:00 am (2300 GMT), as Russian drones and missiles rained down, setting fires in apartment buildings. City officials said seven people were killed.Thick smoke, turning red and orange in the blizzard of Ukrainian air defense fire, rose over the capital as residents fled underground into metro stations, AFP reporters said.- ‘Tough road ahead’  -Trump, who long boasted he could negotiate an end to the Ukraine war within 24 hours, announced last week that he wanted his peace proposal approved by Kyiv by this Thursday — the US Thanksgiving holiday.But the initial plan, pushing numerous Russian war aims, sparked alarm in Ukraine and Europe. Among its points were prohibitions on Ukraine ever joining NATO and requiring the country to surrender swaths of new territory to Russia.The updated plan clearly pleases Ukraine more. The official familiar with the text told AFP that one key improvement was raising a proposed cap on the country’s future military forces from 600,000 to 800,000 members.Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said Tuesday there was “common understanding on the core” of the deal between Ukraine and the US.However, remaining details should be hammered out in direct talks “at the earliest suitable date” between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, he said.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned: “There’s still a long way to go and a tough road ahead.”Russia’s military occupies around a fifth of Ukraine, much of it ravaged by fighting. Tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel have been killed and millions have fled the east of the country.Ukrainian army Sergeant Ivan Zadontsev said negotiating was “healthy.””We also are getting tired of war. We need a break,” he told AFP.But the proposals by both the United States and EU “do not serve Ukraine’s national interests,” he said.burs-sms/iv

The sentient animals of the fictional city of Zootopia are back with a fairytale for our times, examining how the powerful exploit our prejudices, in a family-friendly movie Disney hopes will be a big holiday hit.Nine years after the Oscar-winning first installment, “Zootopia 2” — known as “Zootropolis 2” in some markets — delves deeper into a world that has grossed over a billion dollars at the global box office, despite — or because of — its clear moral ambition. “The great thing about these movies is that they are like fables,” Byron Howard, one of the two directors, told AFP in Los Angeles.”These animals are a great way for us to hold a mirror up to human nature and the mistakes that we make.”We’re plunged back into the city of Zootopia, a modern metropolis where predators and prey have learned to coexist without devouring each other, but stereotypes continue to influence relations.Judy, the first rabbit to join the city’s police force, has proven to her macho colleagues — buffaloes, hippos, and warthogs — that she deserves her place in the investigative department. Along the way, she forges an unexpected partnership with Nick, a solitary fox whose past as a con artist proves to be a valuable asset in uniform. – Exploiting stereotypes – The budding friendship will be tested by a high-stakes heist, carried out during the city’s centennial gala by a snake, a species long banned from the city.But when it comes time to arrest the culprit, Judy learns the rattlesnake — Gary — is simply trying to uncover a secret to restore his family’s honor.”We have a lot of misconceptions about reptiles and snakes in general,” says co-director Jared Bush.But Gary is “the most kind-hearted, warm, vulnerable character I think we’ve ever made.”Over Nick’s objections, Judy lets her quarry escape — turning her and her partner into fugitives and setting them on the path to discovering how Zootopia’s rulers have exploited stereotypes to keep reptiles out of the city.Like every odd couple, Judy and Nick clash repeatedly as they battle to the inevitable happy ending.”They have very different ways of looking at the world,” said Howard.”It was really fun for us to put them through the ringer and to basically have them look at each other and say: ‘Are these differences too much for our partnership to succeed?'” – A pro-diversity fable – With a soundtrack that includes catchy pop from Shakira — who also reprises her role as a gazelle — Disney has produced a pro-diversity tale that appears at odds with the current moment.As with the first installment, released in 2016 at the beginning of Donald Trump’s first term, this lesson in living together jars with the direction America has taken under a president who routinely disparages immigrants and has worked to undermine the notion of inclusivity.Disney, which conservatives accuse of being “woke,” has been the target of an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which is examining its hiring practices,.But for the creators of “Zootopia,” these parallels with current events are simply a coincidence of timing for a story intended to be timeless and which took several years to develop. “As human beings, there’s this natural tendency to look at a difference in someone else and to worry about it, or have an opinion about it,” says Bush.”What we’re trying to say with this movie is, yes, those differences exist, but we’re stronger because of them.”