Japanese PM to US lawmakers: US does not have to confront global challenges alone
Washington — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told U.S. lawmakers Thursday the United States does not have to confront serious global challenges alone, saying Tokyo is upgrading its military capabilities to support its ally. In a joint meeting of the…
Kyiv asks allies for help against alleged Russian abuse of Ukrainian POWs
Washington — While the debates around the U.S. aid to Ukraine focus on military assistance, Kyiv is asking Washington for support in another crucial area — locating POWs and civilian hostages held in Russia and their rehabilitation after they return…
‘Grandfather’ and ‘Mix’: Two Ukrainian mortarmen share their stories
A volunteer fighter from western Ukraine who goes by call sign Grandfather, and his commander from Crimea, known as Mix, are fighting shoulder to shoulder in Donbas. Anna Kosstutschenko met with the two men on the front lines of the…
Myanmar: Middle class ‘disappearing’ amid uptick in brutal fighting
In a new report published on Thursday UNDP said that the middle class has shrunk by half, compared with before the 2021 military coup, and that three quarters of the country’s population is either living in poverty or “perilously close”…
Widespread destruction across Khan Younis as Gazans ‘struggle to survive’
“Humanitarians are working hard to support them, but we need security, access and reliable facilitation by Israeli forces, whose responsibilities don’t end when supplies are dropped off at the border,” said Jamie McGoldrick. Every building the team visited and most…
General Assembly debates Russia’s veto of DPR Korea sanctions panel
This is the third time this year that the world body has met to examine veto use among the Security Council’s permanent members – China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States – including on the situation in Gaza regarding…
Russian attacks ‘a daily destructive pattern’ in Ukraine, Security Council hears
Miroslav Jenča, an Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav in the UN Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, warned that the escalation threatens regional stability, international security and, above all, the people of Ukraine. Affected regions include Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkiv,…
Ukraine’s parliament passes controversial law to boost conscripts, fill army ranks
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s parliament passed a law on Thursday that will govern how the country recruits new conscripts, following months of delay and after thousands of amendments were submitted to water down the initial draft. Lawmakers dragged their feet…
Zelenskyy calls for action, not ‘lengthy discussions’ on Ukraine military aid after widespread Russian attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Thursday for action in providing his country with military aid, especially air defense systems, after a night of Russian aerial attacks that the Ukrainian military said included 42 missiles and 40 drones. “If Russian missiles…
Scientists struggle to protect infant corals from hungry fish
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — South Florida researchers trying to prevent predatory fish from devouring laboratory-grown coral are grasping at biodegradable straws in an effort to restore what some call the rainforest of the sea. Scientists around the world have been…