WASHINGTON (AA) – The US Senate approved a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine on Thursday as the war waged by Russia nears its third month. The 86-1 vote sends the sweeping package to President Joe Biden’s desk, who is expected to sign it. All of the opposition came from Republicans. The House approved the […]
WASHINGTON (AA) – Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday he has authorized $100 million in additional military assistance to Ukraine. “For nearly 12 weeks, Russia has waged its unprovoked and brutal war against Ukraine, its sovereignty, its territorial integrity, and its people,” Blinken said in a statement. “T...
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – A Bangladeshi court on Thursday awarded the death penalty to three aged citizens for crimes against humanity said to be committed more than five decades ago during the 1971 Liberation War between Bangladesh and Pakistan. The International Crimes Tribunal — a domestic war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh set up...
ISTANBUL – Turkiye will say “no” to entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, as senior representatives of the two countries are set to visit Turkiye for talks in the coming days. The Turkish leader reiterated Ankara’s security concerns amid Helsinki and Stockholm’s NATO bids, saying that the [&hel...
MOSCOW – In a retaliatory move, Russia has declared five Portuguese diplomats persona non grata. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned Portuguese Ambassador in Moscow Madalena Fischer and expressed to her “a decisive protest” over “the provocative decision” to declare 10 Russian diplomats per...
SANAA, Yemen (AA) – Yemen’s government asked the US on Wednesday to pressure the Houthi rebel group to break its seven-year siege on the southwestern Taiz province. The request was conveyed during a meeting between Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington DC, according to...
MOSCOW – In a tit-for-tat move over the war in Ukraine, Russia has declared 34 French diplomats persona non grata, effectively ordering their expulsion. On its official website, the Foreign Ministry said the step was taken in response to the expulsion of 41 Russian diplomats from France. A notice was handed to French Ambassador Pierre [&hellip...
ANKARA – At least 229 children have been killed and 424 others injured so far in the war with Russia, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Office has said. Children in the eastern Donetsk, north-central Kyiv, and northeastern Kharkiv regions have been the most affected in Ukraine, the office said in a statement. Russia’s daily bombin...
MOSCOW – Russia has declared 27 Spanish diplomats persona non grata in response to the expulsion of 27 Russian diplomats from Spain in April. The Russian foreign ministry said it summoned Ambassador Marcos Gomez Martinez to lodge a “decisive protest” and handed him a note ordering the diplomats to leave the country. Martinez was told [&h...
Nearly 47 million more people worldwide are at risk of malnutrition and starvation, according to an analysis by the United Nations’ World Food Programme. That’s due to food and fuel supply disruptions because of Russia’s war in Ukraine. There are 323 million acutely food insecure people in 81 countries this year. Ukraine and Russia are [&hell...
