War in Ukraine rages on as global food and fuel crisis worsens

Igor Krasnov told Putin there were "more than 9,000 citizens who were illegally mobilized" when Russia sent conscripts into Ukraine late last year.

"The girls from Ukraine and Switzerland simply ran from me like fire," Anna Linnikova told Evening Moscow.

The video sparked discussions on social media about what kind of weapon could be responsible for the attack.

Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine — The city of Bakhmut was home to around 70,000 people before it found itself on the front line of Russian President Vladimir Putin's unprovoked war to seize Ukrainian territory. Almost 12 months of war have left Bakhmut barely recognizable.          Once renowned for sparkling wine, the small city has been reduced to a hollowed-out shell of its former self. But Bakhmut, and the Ukrainian forces defending it, have hung on. "Bakhmut holds" has even become a battle cry for the nation as it fights back against the Russian invaders. But it's only just holding...

The U.S. government has warned that the war in Ukraine has "raised geopolitical tensions in the Arctic"

McKay Coppins, a journalist at The Atlantic, said he was "taken aback" by how often he heard MAGA Republicans say they wish Trump was dead.

"There is no other way to talk to these fools," State Duma member and former military commander Andrey Gurulyov said.

President Joe Biden awkwardly grabbed a reporter’s hand this week and squeezed under her umbrella after being asked about his recent decision to end two Covid-19 national emergencies, RadarOnline.com has learned.The somewhat bizarre incident took place on Tuesday afternoon as the 80-year-old president was departing the White House to visit New York City.While leaving the White House and approaching his helicopter, NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Kristen Welker questioned Biden about his Monday night decision to draw down two Covid-19 national emergencies by May 11.“What's behind your decision to end the Covid emergency?” she asked.But before answering Welker’s question,...

Ottawa — A Canadian province on Tuesday decriminalized the possession of small amounts of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and other hard drugs in a radical policy shift to address an opioid overdose crisis that has killed thousands. Adults found with up to 2.5 grams of these drugs, rather than face jail or fines, will be provided with information on how to access addiction treatment programs. Police will also not seize their drugs. Sellers and traffickers of hard drugs, however, will continue to face criminal prosecution during the three-year British Columbia pilot project. "The situation has never been more urgent," Addictions Minister...

The men and women of the United Ukrainian Ballet company will make their U.S. debut Wednesday night at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The company of 60 relative strangers formed with the help of professional dancers who found housing and rehearsal space in The Hague.Last February, Oleksii Knyazkov was about to star in "Romeo and Juliet" at the Kharkiv National Opera House. Instead, he found himself at the center of a different tragedy when Russia invaded Ukraine."You don't think about performing or something like this when the aircraft go over your house, or you hear explosions," Knyazkov told CBS...

Moscow — A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced in absentia veteran journalist Alexander Nevzorov to eight years in prison for spreading "false information" about Moscow's war in Ukraine. The verdict is the latest in a series of high-profile rulings under new legislation that opponents of the Kremlin say was designed to criminalize criticism of the conflict. Nevzorov, 64, came under pressure from authorities for alleging that Russian forces deliberately shelled a maternity hospital in Mariupol, a port city in southern Ukraine that was captured by Moscow after a long siege."Journalist Alexander Glebovich Nevzorov was found guilty... and sentenced to imprisonment...

Hong Kong — A new law criminalizing the possession, consumption and selling of cannabidiol (CBD) came into effect Wednesday in Hong Kong, placing the substance on par with heroin in terms of legal classification. CBD, a non-psychoactive derivative of the cannabis plant, is touted by its users as reducing pain, stress, anxiety and inflammation. Hong Kong authorities, however, have said those claims "lack authoritative scientific proof" and have justified their ban by arguing the products could be converted into the intoxicating compound THC, which was already illegal in the city.What's in your CBD? Buyer bewarePenalties include possible life imprisonment and...

London — An estimated half a million workers across multiple sectors in the U.K. went on strike Wednesday in the biggest industrial action Great Britain has seen in more than a decade. The strikers included teachers, civil servants, train and bus drivers, border officials and university staff demanding better pay and working conditions amid soaring inflation and energy prices — difficult circumstances that an IMF forecast suggests may have been exacerbated by Brexit."The government have been running down our education (system), underfunding our schools and underpaying the people who work in them," the National Education Union's joint general secretary, Kevin Courtney,...

The White House is planning to end COVID-19 emergency declarations on May 11, the most public signal yet that the Biden administration now believes the worst of the pandemic is over, the White House announced Monday.The announcemnt was in a formal statement of opposition to two GOP bills set to be voted on in the House this week that would immediately end the national emergency and public health emergency first enacted during the Trump administration that quickly opened up federal money and resources to cities and states responding to the pandemic. The Democratic-led Senate is unlikely to vote on the...

Stocks swung to gains on Wall Street following the latest hike to interest rates by the Federal Reserve, which said it's finally seeing improvements in inflation. The S&P 500 rallied after an early 1% loss and rose 43 points, or 1.1%, to close at 4,119. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also erased an early to drop to rise 7 points, or less than 0.1%, to 34,092. The Nasdaq composite jumped 2%.The Federal Reserve extended its fight against high inflation Wednesday by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point, its eighth consecutive hike since March. It's the smallest such increase in the Fed's...