George Simion, leader of Romania's far-right AUR party, who won the first round of the presidential election with nearly 40% of the vote, reiterated that if elected, he would oppose any further assistance to Ukraine and shift Romania’s focus inward.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed their countries' relationship on May 8, vowing to increase cooperation in all areas, including military ties.
"There is Turkey, which maintains channels of communication. And then, above all, there is the People's Republic of China, which, more than anyone else, has the means to make (Russian President Vladimir) Putin come to the negotiating table and soften his demands," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on May 8.
The United States will be ready to "walk away" from the negotiating table if it does not see Russia making progress in negotiation to end the war, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on May 8.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Moscow on May 9 to celebrate Victory Day, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
US President Donald Trump on May 8 called for a "30-day unconditional ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia. Writing on Truth Social, Trump expressed his hope for "an acceptable ceasefire," with both countries "held accountable for respecting the sanctity of... direct negotiations."
President Volodymyr Zelensky had a "constructive" phone call with United States President Donald Trump on May 8, discussing the war, continued pressure on Russia, and a potential ceasefire.
The survey, conducted between April 24 and May 4, shows that 56.9% of respondents would not be willing to compromise on either territorial integrity or Ukraine’s pro-Western direction in any potential talks with Moscow.
U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced on May 8 to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Vatican News.
On Jan. 8, amendments to Ukraine's law on advertising came into force, which will fine companies for discriminatory advertising and hiring practices. (Anna Bizon/freepik)
On Jan. 8, new amendments to Ukraine’s advertising laws came into force, targeting discriminatory hiring practices and advertising.
It will now be forbidden to display sexist imagery or themes in adverts, as well as overtly sexual imagery.
This includes objectifying bodies to attract customers, promoting the notion of gender superiority, displaying derogatory stereotypes about gender roles, showing gender-based violence, and unnecessarily using sexual imagery, text, or sounds to promote a product.
The new laws will punish offenders with fines of up to $2,375 (Hr 65,000).
Ukrainian businesses have been frequently criticized for their openly sexist or hypersexualized advertising. Many major Ukrainian companies have previously used openly sexist imagery to promote their businesses. Ukrainian electronics store Citrus, construction material retailer Epicenter, and DIY store Angio have all previously used overtly sexist or sexual images to attract clients.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=18&v=Tj01tAtZPgM&feature=emb_logo Epicenter has been accused of sexualizing female bodies in their adverts.
Some companies have begun to remove sexist advertising in response to changing attitudes. Following complaints from the Industrial Gender Committee, Angio took down adverts featuring sexualised depictions of female builders.
The new amendment also prohibits discrimination in job listings. Employers can no longer openly discriminate on the grounds of gender, age, or race when advertising a candidacy.
The law would prohibit vacancy descriptions from seeking to hire men of a certain age, “good looking” women, or exclusively single candidates. In December, Ukrainian job listing site Robota.ua stated that it would begin automatically removing job listings that featured discriminatory descriptions.
The only exception to the law will be in positions where the use of female labor is legally prohibited. In Ukraine, women are prohibited from some types of dangerous manual labor, such as underground mining or lifting heavy loads.
Dylan Carter is a staff writer at the Kyiv Independent. He studied modern languages at the University College of London and Paris Sorbonne IV. He worked as an assistant lecturer at the Kyiv School of Economics and at Ukrinform before joining the Kyiv Post in June 2021.
