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US President Joe Biden signed a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine on Saturday after the bill was flown to Seoul, a White House official announced. Following his departure from Washington, the bill was approved by the Senate. The statement that Biden had signed the bill came as the President attended a state dinner with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. He also signed a bill to improve access to baby formula for low-income families off camera earlier Saturday. As part of the legislation, funds are available for military and humanitarian aid. These include funds to assist Ukrainian military and…

Due to Turkey’s reluctance to recognize Finland’s and Sweden’s entry into NATO, divisions have emerged within the otherwise unified alliance. Talks regarding the membership of Finland and Sweden were stymied by Turkey because the two countries’ policies toward the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Gulenist movement, two groups Turkey identifies as extremists, are too lenient. Turkey has alleged Stockholm and Helsinki of harboring militants affiliated to the two groups, but the two countries have disavowed their support for the Kurdish militants. The European Union also recognizes the PKK as a militant group, and it refuses to extradite suspects. It…

The newly sworn-in Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe, has said in recent interviews that the country’s economic crisis, which has brought suffering and turmoil, will worsen before it gets better. Fuel scarcity and skyrocketing food prices have forced many Sri Lankans to skip meals. In response to anger over how the Rajapaksa government handled the crisis, violent protests have broken out. Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed in an effort to defuse protests. The opposition MP is serving his sixth term as prime minister. The newly appointed PM described the economy as broken in his message to Sri Lankans, but vowed…

The official unemployment rate in Lebanon increased almost threefold to 29.6 percent at the start of the year, according to a UN-government survey. In January 2022, Lebanon’s unemployment rate increased from 11.4% in 2018-2019 to 29.6%, which means almost one third of the active labor force was unemployed, according to the report. Lebanese economy collapsed two years ago as a result of corrupt practices and financial mismanagement, with the national currency losing 95 percent of its value and poverty rates rising. The International Labor Organization, a UN agency, and Lebanon’s Central Administration of Statistics conducted a rare joint survey. They…

Antonio Guterres accepted on Sunday the resignation of a United Nations agency head with a history of questionable investments under investigation. Former Norwegian minister of justice and public safety, Grete Faremo, has served as UN Office for Project Services’ deputy undersecretary-general and executive director since August 2014. Located in Copenhagen, the office provides infrastructure, procurement, and project management services for a more sustainable future. In the midst of media reports suggesting the agency had made a series of bizarre financial decisions that led to $25 million in losses, Faremo resigned. This report follows a piece by Brussels-based writer Ilya Gridneff…

During a working visit to the United States, His Majesty King Abdullah met with US Central Command Commander Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, and US Special Operations Command Commander Gen. Richard D. Clarke, on Friday in Tampa, Florida. The two meetings focused on ways to boost military and defense cooperation between Jordan and the United States. During the meeting, efforts were also discussed to fight terrorism at the regional and international levels within a holistic perspective. Jordan and the United States have a 1996 Status of Forces Agreement, a 2006 Acquisition and Cross-Services Agreement, and a 2021 Defense Cooperation Agreement, reflecting…

A statement was made by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Lebanese government, Saadeh al-Shami, to announce the bankruptcy of the state and the Central Bank of Lebanon, and that the losses will be distributed among the state, the Banque du Liban, banks, and depositors within Lebanon. According to statistics provided by the United Nations, 82 percent of the Lebanese population are now living below the poverty line. This ranks Lebanon joint with South-Sudan (82 percent) as the poorest nation in the world followed by Equatorial Guinea (77 percent) and Madagascar (71 percent). There is an estimated 40 percent unemployment…

On Sunday, the Pakistan government announced that Imran Khan no longer holds the position of Prime Minister. As a result of the dissolution of the Pakistan Assembly by the President of Pakistan pursuant to Article 58 (1) read with Article 48 (1) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, vide Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, dated 3rd April 2022, Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ceased to hold the office of Prime Minister of Pakistan, with immediate effect, according to the government statement. The Pakistani Supreme Court has banned all state institutions from taking any “unconstitutional” steps following the dismissal of…

The statement of the UN special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundeng, included an announcement of a two-month nationwide truce that began on Saturday in Yemen, which was welcomed by Egypt, Jordan, and Djibouti. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry stated in Cairo that it looks forward to the armistice contributing to efforts for a comprehensive resolution of the Yemeni crisis, and supporting political solutions initiatives such as the consultations currently underway in Riyadh based on Security Council resolutions and the Gulf initiative. By preserving Yemen’s unity and independence and conserving its people’s aspirations for security, stability, and prosperity by the executive branch of…

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan president, declared a state of emergency in the country beginning on April 1. In the wake of the country’s most severe economic crisis in decades, citizens have grown increasingly dissatisfied with the government’s handling of the problem. As a result of violent protests outside President Rajapaksa’s residence, the Sri Lankan police imposed a curfew in many parts of Colombo on Friday. Sri Lanka’s constitution stipulates that the President may declare a state of emergency by proclamation and that the announcement cannot be challenged in court. The proclamation may be in effect for a month. In…