This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Chris Barrow, and in the early hours of Friday the 16th of May, these are our main stories.

The United States has played down the chances of progress in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul

after the two sides failed to meet as scheduled on Thursday. More than 100 Palestinians have been reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza,

and there have been widespread power cuts in Sudan's capital Khartoum after drone strikes on power stations.

Also in this podcast...

They suspected that this gene was driving the production of lighter pigments instead of the

darker pigment you'd get with, say, a black cat. They thought it was driving lighter pigment,

but they couldn't understand why. Why some cats have orange fur and why those cats are usually

male. Last week, Vladimir Putin proposed the time and place for peace talks with Ukraine, May the 15th, in Turkey.

Russia and Ukraine had been expected to meet on Thursday in Istanbul for their first direct peace talks for more than three years.

But so far, no meeting has taken place.

The Russian president kept everyone guessing as to whether he'd attend.

Late on Wednesday, it became clear that he wouldn't.

A junior Russian delegation has been sent to Istanbul instead.

The Russian foreign ministry says it's ready for serious work,

but the Ukrainian president disagreed.

Volodymy Zelensky, who's been meeting the Turkish president in Ankara,

says a ceasefire is his main objective.

As for the agenda, they will have a mandate, and a ceasefire is the priority.

Although I still believe that Russia continues not to treat these meetings seriously

and does not want to end the war.

...