World News

Pope Francis, who last year unexpectedly visited the Russian embassy in Rome, has expressed concerns about what he calls “the great pain” suffered by the people of Ukraine, where the government fears that Russia is preparing a major military offensive. His words came while former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in Ukraine on Sunday after the Western NATO military alliance failed to unite on sending tanks to the war-facing nation over the weekend.

CIA Director William Burns visited Kyiv last week to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a US official said Thursday, in the latest example of high-level contacts between the US and Ukraine.

The United States on Thursday announced a $2.5 billion military assistance package for Ukraine that includes hundreds of armored vehicles as well as air defense systems but no tanks despite Kyiv’s repeated calls for the front-line combat machinery.

US forces have captured three Islamic State group members during a helicopter and ground raid in eastern Syria, the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins, 44, is due to become New Zealand’s next prime minister after he was the only candidate to enter the race Saturday to replace Jacinda Ardern.

Hungarian liberal politician and author Imre Mécs, a soft-spoken stylish man who was once nearly executed for playing a pivotal role in Hungary’s Revolution of 1956 against Soviet domination, has died, Worthy News learned Saturday. He was 89.

The NATO military alliance was to meet on Friday to discuss military support for Ukraine amid internal tensions after a new appeal for weapons from Ukraine’s embattled leader.

More than a million people marched through France cities to condemn President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030 in a nation where the right to free time has been religiously observed.

The U.S. is finalizing a massive package of military aid for Ukraine that U.S. officials say is likely to total as much as $2.6 billion. It’s expected to include for the first time nearly 100 Stryker combat vehicles and at least 50 Bradley armored vehicles to allow Ukrainian forces to move more quickly and securely on the front lines in the war with Russia — but not the tanks that Ukraine has sought.

Iran says it launched a new drill in the Persian Gulf using cruise missiles, drones and other weapons.

New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who became the world’s youngest female head of government and led her nation through major crises, has announced her resignation. 

Authorities say as many as 17 people, including Ukraine’s interior ministry’s leadership and four children, were killed in a helicopter crash near a nursery in a suburb of Kyiv. The top officials’ deaths undermined Ukraine’s efforts to halt increased attacks by Russia’s invading army.

Famed Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was removed by German riot police for the second time in three days while protesting at a coal mine in Germany Tuesday.

The U.S. is gearing up to announce a major new weapons package for Ukraine on Friday, as top military leaders from around the world gather in Germany to discuss how to help Kyiv in its fight against Russia, according to three U.S. officials and another person familiar with the discussions.

The Kremlin said on Monday that the tanks Britain plans to send to Ukraine “will burn,” warning the West that supplying a new round of more advanced weapons to Ukraine would not change the course of the war.

Russia detailed plans Tuesday to expand its military to 1.5 million personnel over the next few years, a move that comes as Ukraine warns that Moscow may be planning an offensive and increased tensions between Moscow and the United States and its allies.

Israeli scientists are aiming to produce the world’s first preventative drug designed to stop tumors causing secondary cancer, and say the active ingredient has shown more than 90 percent effectiveness in mice.

Hungary’s rightwing government has condemned the West for allegedly playing down the persecution of Christians after Islamists in Africa killed and injured dozens of believers on Sunday, including a priest.

A German court tried to force 85-year-old Holocaust survivor Inna Zhvanetskaya to get COVID-19 vaccinations and be committed to a psychiatric facility.

Italy’s most wanted Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, who was accused of several high-profile murders, has been detained after three decades on the run. The man was captured Monday by police at a private hospital on the Italian island of Sicily.