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Tom Fletcher will focus on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the world’s youngest country and escalating protection risks for both civilians and aid workers. On arrival, he headed directly to Malakal in Upper Nile state, meeting with local communities, their leaders, and returnees. He heard firsthand about their needs…
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Tom Fletcher will focus on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the world’s youngest country and escalating protection risks for both civilians and aid workers. On arrival, he…
Acknowledging dizzying geopolitical uncertainty marked by conflict in Gaza, Myanmar, Ukraine, Sudan and beyond, Secretary-General António…
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Vladimir Putin has not broken Ukraine, its leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday as the Kremlin marked the start of the fifth year of its invasion by vowing to keep fighting Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II until it achieves its goals.Moscow had hoped to take Kyiv in days when it launched its invasion on February 24, 2022.Four years later – with hundreds of thousands dead, millions forced to flee, much of eastern Ukraine destroyed and US-led peace talks still deadlocked over territory – it conceded that it has not achieved all it wants in the country.”The goals haven’t been fully achieved yet, which is why the military operation continues,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to an AFP question.Ukraine, meanwhile, was ready to do “everything” it could to secure peace, Zelensky said in a video address that featured images of Ukrainians carrying out acts of resistance against Russian soldiers in the opening days of the conflict.However, any settlement must not “betray” the price paid by Ukrainians throughout the conflict, he said.”Putin has not achieved his goals. He did not break the Ukrainians. He did not win this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to achieve peace – and to ensure there is justice,” Zelensky said.”We want peace. Strong, dignified, and lasting peace,” he said, but any deal must be “accepted by Ukrainians”.”Everything Ukraine has gone through. It must not be surrendered, forgotten, or betrayed,” he added.Several European leaders including Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visited Kyiv Tuesday to mark the anniversary.In an address to the EU parliament and speaking alongside visiting EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, Zelensky urged Brussels to accelerate Kyiv’s admission to the bloc, or face “decades” of Russian attempts to disrupt the process.Tuesday’s anniversary of the start of the conflict comes a day after Hungary vetoed new EU sanctions against Russia and a €90bn ($105 billion) loan critical to Ukraine’s survival.Hungary, which maintains close ties with Moscow, and neighbouring Slovakia accuse Kyiv of deliberately blocking their supplies of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline, which Ukraine says it is trying to repair after a Russian strike last month.Speaking in Moscow to agents of his FSB security service, Putin said that Ukraine has “not managed to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield” and was upping its behind-the-lines sabotage attacks.Separately, top Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov was quoted as saying that Russia would brief the US on what it says are attempts by Ukraine to obtain nuclear weapons.He provided no evidence, and Kyiv denied the claim.In the suburb of Irpin – where the bodies of hundreds of civilians were discovered in 2022 after it and the neighbouring suburb of Bucha were occupied by Russian forces – locals told AFP how the war had completely changed their lives, and the country.”We have become accustomed to sleeping under sirens and shrapnel,” said Yevgenia Antoniuk, 43.Recalling a moment in 2022 when she gave some bread to a hungry old man after the Russians abandoned Irpin, she said: “He burst into tears and began kissing my hands. At that moment, I hated Russians so deeply and strongly that I realised that neither I, nor my children, nor my grandchildren would ever forget or forgive them.”As in many places across the country, locals there had gathered for a ceremony to mark the four-year anniversary.Ukrainians are filled with a mix of fatigue at the relentless bombardments and mounting battlefield losses, and determination to resist.Whatever the outcome on the battlefield or at the negotiating table, “there will be no victory for us in this war”, said Valentyn Oleksiyenko, a 29-year-old wounded veteran.”The price we are paying for it is too high. Too many of our people have been killed,” he added.Hundreds of thousands have been killed since Moscow invaded.The UN has verified around 15,000 Ukrainian civilians killed, but says the true number is likely considerably higher.Others said the fact Ukraine had not fallen to the Russians was a victory in itself.”We have shown that no matter who the enemy is that comes to our land, we can repel them,” said Isakiy Zinkevich, a 38-year-old priest in Bucha, a Kyiv commuter town that became synonymous with atrocities committed by Russian troops.The United States has been pushing to end the conflict, mediating talks this year in Geneva and Abu Dhabi between the two sides, but they remain at odds over the issue of territory.Russia, which occupies around 20% of Ukraine, is fighting to gain full control of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region as part of any deal.Ukraine has rejected the demand and said it would not sign a deal without security guarantees from allies – including the US – to deter Russia from invading again.The grinding four-year war has devastated the country, with the cost of post-war reconstruction estimated at around $588bn over the next decade, according to a joint World Bank, EU and UN report with Kyiv, published on Monday. 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India unveiled a bust of an independence-era nationalist icon at the presidential palace yesterday, replacing a monument to British architect Edwin Lutyens in a symbolic break from its colonial past.Lutyens was the chief architect of New Delhi, the area that houses India’s power centre, and still often referred to as Lutyens’ Delhi. His bust was replaced with that of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, known as Rajaji, a towering statesman, jurist and writer who served as Governor General from 1948 to 1950, bridging the transition from British rule to the modern Indian republic. “This initiative is part of series of steps being taken towards shedding the vestiges of colonial mindset and embracing, with pride, the richness of India’s culture,” said President Droupadi Murmu in a statement.Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi has long sought to eliminate remnants of India’s colonial past by reshaping several key British-era relics with his own mega projects. In 2023 he inaugurated a grand new hexagonal national parliament, replacing a colonial-era building, also designed by Lutyens along with his British colleague, Herbert Baker.Modi said the move to replace Lutyens’ bust was part of initiatives to achieve “freedom from the mindset of slavery”. “Statues of British administrators were allowed to remain… but those of the nation’s greatest sons were denied space,” he said in a radio broadcast on Saturday. “Today, the country is leaving that colonial mindset behind.” In 2022, Modi’s government erected a statue of an independence hero venerated for taking up arms against colonial rule — but controversial for his collaboration with Nazi Germany’s war machinery. The statue of Subhas Chandra Bose was placed in a canopy near the India Gate war memorial in New Delhi on a long empty plinth that had once housed a statue of British monarch King George V. The canopy, too, had been designed by Lutyens. Lutyens’ great-grandson, British biologist Matt Ridley, said he was “sad to read that the bust of Lutyens (my great grandfather) is to be removed from the presidential palace he designed in Delhi”. Source link
During the closing ceremony of the Qatar Open 2026, ExxonMobil Qatar proudly recognized its long-standing educational partner, INJAZ Qatar, for reaching a milestone of 500,000 students through its collaborative programs. This achievement reflects a shared commitment to empowering youth and advancing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, directly aligning with the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third National Development Strategy.STEM education is a core corporate social responsibility area for ExxonMobil Qatar, recognized as a key driver of economic growth and opportunity. Through strong community partnerships, the company supports innovative STEM initiatives, equipping Qatar’s youth with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing world.Taher Hamid, President and General Manager of ExxonMobil Qatar, presented Emad al-Khaja, Chief Executive Officer of INJAZ Qatar, with a commemorative plaque, honoring the organization’s exceptional impact and unwavering commitment to youth empowerment and educational excellence. Joining them was Neil Chapman, Senior Vice President of Exxon Mobil Corporation, along with senior representatives from ExxonMobil Qatar and Qatar Tennis Federation.“As we celebrate another outstanding Qatar ExxonMobil Open, we want to take a moment to formally recognize our partner, INJAZ Qatar, for its incredible work and for positively impacting half a million students since our partnership began,” said Hamid. “INJAZ Qatar has been instrumental in creating meaningful opportunities that impact the future of young people in local communities.”ExxonMobil Qatar has partnered with INJAZ Qatar since 2007 to provide young people with opportunities to channel their creativity and innovation into shaping a brighter future.As a founding board member, ExxonMobil Qatar supports programs such as the INJAZ Mubadara Annual Young Enterprise of the Year Competition, sponsoring the Best Company of the Year Award to encourage local student entrepreneurship.In November 2023, ExxonMobil Qatar signed a sponsorship agreement to support INJAZ Qatar’s Life Skills for Elementary Students Project. The initiative delivers five programs in Arabic for Grades 1 to 6 under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.“We are proud of this recognition, which reflects the strength of our long-standing partnership with ExxonMobil Qatar and our shared commitment to education and youth empowerment. This milestone underscores the collective impact that can be achieved through collaboration between the private sector, educational institutions, and national partners. At INJAZ Qatar and INJAZ Al Arab, we remain committed to equipping young people with the skills, confidence, and opportunities they need to succeed and contribute meaningfully to the future of our communities,” said Sheikha Hanadi bint Nasser bin Khaled al-Thani, Chairperson, INJAZ Qatar and INJAZ Al Arab.An industry leader in nearly every aspect of the energy and chemical manufacturing industries, ExxonMobil’s commitment extends beyond the business world to make a meaningful impact within the local community. The company plays an active role in community development and education initiatives, aligning its efforts with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third National Development Strategy. This commitment supports the development of a skilled workforce that drives growth and fosters opportunities for a sustainable future. Related Story Source link
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