Category: Aid

UN Says Syria Agrees to Open 2 New Crossings for Quake Aid

UNITED NATIONS—Syria’s president agreed to open two new crossing points from Turkey to the country’s rebel-held northwest to deliver desperately needed aid and equipment to help millions of earthquake victims, the United Nations announced Monday. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement by Syrian leader Bashar Assad to open crossing points at Bab Al-Salam and…


US Man Convicted of Aiding ISIS as Sniper, Trainer

NEW YORK—A former New York stockbroker-turned-ISIS group terrorist was convicted Tuesday of becoming a sniper and trainer for the terrorist group during its brutal reign in Syria and Iraq. The trial of Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, a Kazakh-born U.S. citizen, was the latest in a series of cases against people accused of leaving their homelands around…


Detroit-Area Man Convicted of Aiding ISIS in Syria

DETROIT—A Detroit-area man who was captured on a Syrian battlefield in 2018 has been convicted on charges of providing support to the ISIS terrorist group and attending one of the group’s training camps, prosecutors said. A federal jury convicted Ibraheem Izzy Musaibli, 32, on Monday of charges of providing and attempting to provide material support…


Corrupt Officer or Cartel Enemy? Ex-mexico Drug Czar’s US Trial Kicks Off

NEW YORK—U.S. prosecutors on Monday accused a former top Mexican official on trial for allegedly taking bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel of betraying his country, while his defense said prosecutors were being played by drug traffickers out for revenge. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn say Genaro Garcia Luna, who led Mexico’s Federal Investigation Agency from 2001…


Corrupt Officer or Cartel Enemy? Former Mexico Drug Czar’s US Trial Kicks Off

NEW YORK—U.S. prosecutors on Monday accused a former top Mexican official on trial for allegedly taking bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel of betraying his country, while his defense said prosecutors were being played by drug traffickers out for revenge. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn say Genaro Garcia Luna, who led Mexico’s Federal Investigation Agency from 2001…


Iran Sentences Belgian Aid Worker to Prison, Lashes

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Iran has sentenced a Belgian aid worker to a lengthy prison term and 74 lashes after convicting him of espionage in a closed-door trial, state media reported Tuesday. The website of Iran’s judiciary said a Revolutionary Court sentenced 41-year-old Olivier Vandecasteele to 12.5 years in prison for espionage, 12.5 years for collaboration…


US to Send $3.75 Billion in Military Aid to Ukraine, Its Neighbors

WASHINGTON—The United States will send $3.75 billion in military weapons and other aid to Ukraine and its neighbors on NATO’s eastern flank, the White House announced Friday, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grinds on. The latest tranche of assistance will include for the first time Bradley armored vehicles for Ukraine. The armored carrier is used…


US House Approves Ukraine Aid Including Arms After Zelenskyy Visit

WASHINGTON/KYIV—The U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval on Friday to a $45 billion aid package for Ukraine, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned his citizens that Russia could launch attacks over Christmas and urged them to heed air raid alarms. The aid measure passed by the Democratic-controlled House, part of a $1.66 trillion government…


Russia Declares End of Mobilization Campaign; US Sending $275 Million More Military Aid to Ukraine

FRONTLINES NORTH OF KHERSON, Ukraine—Russia said on Friday it had finished calling up reservists to fight in Ukraine, having drafted hundreds of thousands in a month and sending more than a quarter of them already to the battlefield after a mobilization campaign that was its first since World War II. The United States, meanwhile, announced…


Blinken Announces $600 Million in Military Aid for Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday announced that the United States will send a further $600 million worth of military equipment to Ukraine. The latest drawdown of U.S. military inventory is the 21st authorized by Blinken since September last year. “Together with our Allies and partners, we are delivering the arms and equipment…