Najaf Ali

The Russian military is continuing to use a Ukrainian air base outside the occupied city of Melitopol, satellite images from BlackSky show. At least seven helicopters are seen at the air base in a satellite image taken on May 12 at 3:58 p.m. local time. Only one helicopter is seen in a satellite image from May … Read more

Russian Diplomat to the European Union said Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine is on track but not proceeding at the speed certain people in the country wanted. Calling the invasion a “special military operation,” Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov told Sky News Russia could have “steamrolled” Ukraine by now if it had wanted. “It is continuing at a … Read more

David Beasley, head of the United Nations World Food Programme, is pleading with Russian President Vladimir Putin to reopen Ukraine’s Black Sea ports before global calamity strikes. Millions of people around the world will die because these ports are being blocked,” Beasley told CNN during a conference on Thursday. Asked what he would say directly to … Read more

GPS Fusion, the research firm Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign hired to dig up dirt on Donald Trump’s supposed ties to Russia, must turn over nearly two dozen emails to special counsel John Durham, a federal judge ruled Thursday. Those emails – which are largely exchanges between Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussman and Fusion GPS – are part of a … Read more

A missing 14-year-old Colorado girl may be with a “non-family member whom she met online” after she disappeared from school, according to the Boulder County Sheriff. Heaven White, who is described as 5 ft. 5 in. tall and 115 pounds with blonde hair that may be dyed, blue eyes and braces, was last seen on Wednesday morning at Manhattan … Read more

A family in Riverside, California was held at gunpoint Tuesday evening as three men in hoodies ransacked their home.  Riverside Police Officer Javier Cabrera said officers received a call shortly before 10 p.m. about a home invasion in the 14000 block of Ashton Lane, near the East Alessandro Boulevard and Trautwein Road. The homeowner told officers he was working … Read more

The City of Austin bought a Candlewood Suites hotel for $9 million last year with plans to turn it into a homeless shelter, but the building was vandalized in recent months before the necessary renovations could take place, City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly said at a press conference on Thursday.  “This damage spans all three floors of the building and nearly … Read more

The Finnish government is planning to issue a second white paper on Sunday proposing that the country joins NATO, Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told reporters in a media briefing in Helsinki on Thursday. The proposal would then be put into a parliamentary vote with a plenary scheduled for Monday morning. Haavisto noted that it … Read more

The United States assesses that Russian forces have sent “at least several thousand Ukrainians” to be processed at Russia’s so-called filtration centers “and evacuated at least tens of thousands more to Russia or Russia-controlled territory,” US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Michael Carpenter said Thursday. The forced displacement – … Read more

Finland’s support for joining NATO is the result of a “very drastic change in our security environment” after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Klaus Korhonen, Finnish Ambassador to NATO told CNN on Thursday. Currently, there are no “direct military threats against Finland,” by Russia, Korhonen said, adding that they don’t see any “irregular activity.” But the nation … Read more

South Carolina prosecutors filed new charges Thursday against a 19-year-old who was sentenced to probation just last month after a plea deal designed to allow him to avoid jail and the sex offender registry in the wake of multiple allegations of sex assaults, court records show. Orangeburg County deputies arrested Bowen Turner early Monday morning on disorderly conduct and … Read more

A hospital in Lviv has shared the story of an 11-year-old girl and her mother, who it says both lost legs in a missile strike at Kramatorsk railway station in April. While waiting for their train, the two went on to the platform to get some tea, while Yana’s twin brother Yaroslav watched their luggage, … Read more

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has warned that people trading stolen Ukrainian grain will be held to account, Interfax-Ukraine news agency has reported. Russia has staged a blockade along the Black Sea coast since its invasion of Ukraine, preventing the export of millions of tonnes of grain. Ukraine has accused Russian forces of stealing several … Read more

The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called for international allies to commit more sanctions against Russia until it completely withdrawals from Ukraine and agrees to peace, according to a UK statement following a meeting of G7 Foreign Ministers in Germany on Thursday. She urged sanctions on Russia not be lifted until those demands are … Read more

The Union Ministry of Law and Justice Thursday announced Rajiv Kumar, the current Election Commissioner, will take over as the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) from May 15. Kumar will take charge from CEC Sushil Chandra, who is due to retire. “In pursuance of clause (2) of Article 324 of the Constitution, the President is … Read more

Despite major cyber-attacks in the West so far not having materialised, a senior US intelligence official says that the ongoing cyber-conflict over Ukraine could escalate. In an interview with the BBC, Rob Joyce, director of cyber-security at the National Security Agency, said that while a single massive attack hasn’t taken place, there has been a … Read more

Ukrainian Capt. Svyatoslav Palamar, who is hunkered down inside Mariupol’s besieged Azovstal steel plant,  that he believes all civilians sheltering inside the plant are now out — with the caveat that due to the constant bombardment, it is difficult to make a full assessment of the situation across the massive facility. Palamar, the deputy commander of … Read more