This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Valerie Sanderson, and in the early

hours of Saturday the 17th of May, these are our main stories. Direct peace talks between Russia and

Ukraine end with no ceasefire, but a prisoner swap is agreed. In Gaza, officials say 100 people have

been killed following intensive Israeli airstrikes.

The former president of Gabon, Ali Bongo, has arrived in Angola after being released from detention in his homeland.

Also in this podcast, as voters in Portugal prepare to go to the polls on Sunday,

we hear about the issues dominating the general election campaign.

We have been growing relatively well during the last year, but we know that in the next year,

we will grow less. So we have a major problem here due to the lack of active population.

Ukraine and Russia's attempt at direct peace talks has ended with no agreement on a ceasefire

but has achieved a deal on the biggest swap of prisoners since Russia's invasion of Ukraine

in 2022. Ukraine's defense minister Rustam Omarov spoke to reporters after the talks had finished.

The tentative success of today's negotiations is still to be consolidated.

That means that the pressure on the Russian Federation must continue.

And there are many issues that can be resolved if only the leaders can meet.

Rustam Umarov referencing the fact that President Zelensky of Ukraine and Russia's President Putin did not attend.

Vitaly Shivchenko is Russia editor at BBC monitoring and told me more about the prison swap.

A thousand people going home from each country, so that's progress.

But not exactly what Ukraine and its allies had been demanding.

Up until the talk started, Ukrainian officials from Vladimir Zelensky down,

have been saying what we need is an immediate ceasefire

to start now lasting at least 30 days.

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