Najaf Ali

The firearm homicide rate in the United States surged 35% to the highest level since 1994 in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a CDC study released Tuesday.  Nearly 20,000 Americans were killed in gun homicides in 2020, with the rate increasing 4.6 to 6.1 per 100,000 persons. More than 24,000 Americans killed themselves with … Read more

The biggest pop music competition in the world commenced with the first semifinal on Tuesday night, seeing 10 out of 17 countries earn their place in the final — including the Ukrainian entry, widely expected to finish on top of the podium. Lithuania, Switzerland, Armenia, Norway, Moldova, Iceland, Greece, Portugal, and the Netherlands also made the … Read more

US President Joe Biden and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said that the ties between their two countries are “stronger” in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  The President thanked Draghi for his response to the “brutality of Putin,” when the two leaders met at the White House on Tuesday. “Your cooperation and sometimes at a greater cost … Read more

A Texas substitute teacher lost his job after using the n-word in a classroom at Swift Elementary School in Arlington. One parent says her son came home from school and Friday and told her what had happened. “’They had a substitute today, and guess what he said?’ And I said, ‘Well, what did he say?’ ‘Well, he said n—–’ … Read more

Bridget Brink, the nominee for US ambassador to Ukraine, said Tuesday that the United States is “trying to work with international partners and others to help find alternative routes for grain and corn out of Ukraine.” “On the question of moving things out of the ports, this is a big challenge right now because Russia … Read more

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said the removal of not only Vladimir Putin, but the entire regime that supports him is necessary to stop Russia’s “warmongering” and predicted the Kremlin leader will become increasingly erratic as his battlefield losses grow in Ukraine. Speaking to CNN in Washington on Tuesday, Landsbergis also said his nation is seeking a … Read more

Erin Burnett spoke with Kirillo Alexandrov, a 27-year-old American citizen who was held captive by Russians for alleged espionage.  Bryan Stern, co-founder of Project Dynamo, told CNN that Alexandrov and his Ukrainian wife and mother-in-law were taken by Russian forces more than a month ago in Kherson Oblast. They had been held in a building occupied by the Russians and … Read more

The Ukrainian city of Dnipro has emerged as a crucial hub for the Ukrainian military and humanitarian operations as the war in Ukraine’s east grinds on. After repeated airstrikes that struck the city in March and early April, an uneasy calm has fallen over Dnipro, the fourth largest city in Ukraine. During a recent visit, … Read more

Ukraine’s fierce resistance to the Russia invasion has resonated around the world. At the center of that fight are ordinary citizens who left behind comfortable lives to answer a call of duty — people such as a software engineer, a logistics manager and even a poet. The area south of Izium is a key point … Read more

Fuel supplies in Europe face possible disruption after Ukraine vowed to suspend an important route for Russian gas. Operators of the Ukrainian gas system said they would switch off the Sokhranivka route from 07:00 local time on Wednesday. The route accounts for a third of Russia’s supply to Europe. They claim to be unable to … Read more

The Pentagon believes that Russia has used about 10 to 12 of its hypersonic weapons since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, according to a senior defence official. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the official said the US does not have “a perfect count” of the deployment of the weapon. Russia claims the Kinzhal … Read more

Caroline Davies is in the eastern city Odesa, where missiles struck several buildings overnight and shook homes nearby. She’s been to see the devastation and how the attacks have affected a local family. At least six people were killed and 18 others injured as multiple missiles hit Ukraine’s southern port city of Odessa, a Ukrainian … Read more

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has praised Leonid Kravchuk, Ukraine’s former leader who died at 88 on Tuesday, as a man who “always stayed with Ukraine”. In his nightly television address, Zelensky said that Kravchuk – the first president of an independent, post-Soviet Ukraine between 1991-94 – “valued life, and every minute of it”. “As a … Read more

The UN Security Council is expected to hold a public meeting Thursday morning on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine at the request of France and Mexico. The UN Humanitarian Office and officials from UNICEF are expect to brief the council at that time though no vote is scheduled. The security council is also expected to … Read more

The Democratic-led US House of Representatives is expected to vote Tuesday evening on a nearly $40 billion bill to deliver aid to Ukraine as it continues to face Russia’s brutal assault. Lawmakers unveiled bill text on Tuesday ahead of a planned vote later in the day on the legislation, which is expected to have bipartisan support. Aid … Read more

In the Russian-occupied southern city of Kherson, nonstop shelling has reduced buildings to rubble. In nearby villages, the fields are covered in debris. But many residents can’t leave. Instead, they do their best to move forward, hiding in basement shelters when the shelling gets too close. On the roads, men still sell cow’s milk, and … Read more

On the ground in Ukraine, as we reported earlier today, there have been claims Russian troops have asked for lists of empty apartments in the city of Kherson. Ihor Kolykhaiev, the mayor of Kherson, has confirmed but says he is unsure what the list will be used for. He is unclear if the apartments will … Read more