Dutch defense minister pledges $440M for drone action plan with Ukraine
Kyiv, Ukraine — Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on a surprise visit to Kyiv on Sunday that his country will invest 400 million euros ($440 million) in advanced drone development with Ukraine and deliver more F-16s in the coming…
Rwanda begins Marburg vaccinations to curb deadly outbreak
KIGALI — Rwanda said Sunday it had begun administering vaccine doses against the Marburg virus to try to combat an outbreak of the Ebola-like disease in the east African country, where it has so far killed 12 people. “The vaccination…
As affordable housing disappears, states scramble to shore up losses
Los Angeles — For more than two decades, the low rent on Marina Maalouf’s apartment in a blocky affordable housing development in Los Angeles’ Chinatown was a saving grace for her family, including a granddaughter who has autism. But that…
A letter from a mother in Gaza: Hardships, heartbreak and hope
That day was in November 2023, around a month into the war in Gaza. Ala’a is among an estimated 155,000 pregnant women and new mothers in the Gaza Strip who for the past year have been forced to give birth under…
Lebanon: UNHCR chief issues urgent aid appeal to stem humanitarian catastrophe
According to the Lebanese health ministry over 2,000 Lebanese have been killed and nearly 10,000 wounded since the start of Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza a year ago. Israel intensified its bombing campaign across the whole of Lebanon following…
1 dead as Russia strikes Ukraine with drones and missiles
KYIV, Ukraine — One person has died after Russian forces attacked Ukraine overnight with 87 Shahed drones and four different types of missiles, officials said Sunday. A 49-year-old man was killed in the Kharkiv region after his car was hit…
Congo starts mpox vaccinations in effort to slow outbreaks
GOMA, Congo — Congolese authorities on Saturday began vaccinations against mpox, nearly two months after the disease outbreak that spread from Congo to several African countries and beyond was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization. The 265,000…
Russia prosecutes US citizen accused of fighting as mercenary in Ukraine
Russian prosecutors asked for a seven-year sentence in the trial of a U.S. citizen accused of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine against Russia, Russian news agencies reported Saturday. Prosecutors asked the court to take into account 72-year-old Stephen Hubbard’s…
Magnitude 5.7 earthquake strikes near capital of New Zealand
wellington, new zealand — A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck near New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington, government seismic monitor GeoNet said on Sunday, but initial reports indicated there were no injuries or significant damage. The quake hit at 5:08 a.m….
Ukraine shoots down Russian bomber in Donetsk
kyiv, ukraine — Ukrainian forces said they shot down a Russian fighter plane Saturday while Russia claimed it made gains in Ukraine’s east. The Russian bomber was shot down near the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk province, head of…