UN stands with Ukrainians for the long-term, insists UN aid chief
In a joint appeal from Kyiv, the UN’s emergency relief chief Tom Fletcher and Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said that millions of civilians inside Ukraine and abroad depend on the international community’s support, amid ongoing Russian attacks. “The Ukrainian…
New year sees uptick and expansion of fighting on Ukraine’s frontlines
“Most disturbingly, in 2024 we witnessed an alarming rise in the toll of civilian casualties,” Rosemary DiCarlo told ambassadors. She said the total number of civilians killed and injured last year was 30 per cent higher than in 2023, citing…
Indian space agency achieves satellite docking milestone
BENGALURU — India became the world’s fourth nation on Thursday to achieve the feat of space docking, a technological milestone that underscores its ambitions to expand its share of a rapidly growing $400-billion global space market. Target and Chaser, two…
Britain announces Ukraine pact with military collaboration
Britain announced Thursday a treaty with Ukraine that includes military collaboration, science and technology partnerships, and an effort to track stolen Ukrainian grain. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is visiting Kyiv to sign the pact with Ukrainian leaders. Starmer is…
VOA Russian: Victims of Russian torture in Ukraine speak at UN
Ukrainians formerly imprisoned by Russia testified at the United Nations this week about the torture they were subjected to in captivity. Ukrainian journalist and activist Maxym Butkevych, who spent more than two years in a Russian prison in an occupied…
Trump’s pick for top diplomat calls for ceasefire in Russia’s war on Ukraine
Russia’s nearly three-year invasion of Ukraine has become a “war of attrition” and a “stalemate” that must be ended, Senator Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be secretary of state, told senators at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday. Rubio…
US imposes export controls on biotech equipment over AI security concerns
On Wednesday the U.S. Department of Commerce announced it would implement new export controls on certain biotechnology equipment, citing national security concerns relating to artificial intelligence and data science. The Commerce Department warned that China could use the biotech equipment’s…
US ‘TikTok Refugees’ migrate to another Chinese app as ban looms
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — As TikTok’s Sunday deadline to divest or face a U.S. ban approaches, hundreds of thousands of American users of the popular social media video app say they are migrating to another Chinese social media app, Xiaohongshu, or…
White House says Biden leaving Ukraine in strongest position possible
While U.S. President Joe Biden views his response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a cornerstone of his foreign policy legacy, critics argue he missed a historic opportunity to help Ukraine win the war. Michael Carpenter, director for Europe at…
Pakistan welcomes World Bank’s $20 billion lending pledge
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan confirmed on Wednesday that the World Bank has pledged to lend $20 billion over the next decade, commencing in 2026 under its Country Partnership Framework, to help address the impoverished country’s acute development challenges. Prime Minister Shehbaz…