Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare trip Monday to Moscow's ally Belarus as his forces pursued their campaign to bombard Ukraine from the air amid a broad battlefield stalemate almost 10 months into the war. Putin’s visit to Minsk came hours after Russia’s latest drone attack on Ukraine. Moscow has been targeting Ukraine’s power grid since October as part of a strategy to deprive the country of heat and power during winter. His brief trip could herald more military support for the Kremlin war effort, after Belarus provided Russia with a launching pad for the invasion of Ukraine last February. Putin said he and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko discussed forming “a single defense space” in the region but rejected claims that Moscow was poised to swallow its neighbor. “Russia isn’t interested in any kind of merger, it’s not feasible,” Putin said. Putin said that he supported Lukashenko’s proposal to train the crews of Belarusian warplanes that already have been modified for using special warheads — a reference to nuclear weapons. Earlier this year, Russia and Belarus have announced a plan to modernize Belarusian aircraft to make them nuclear-capable. Lukashenko said Belarusian crews have been training with Russia to operate those planes modified to carry nuclear weapons. Lukashenko thanked Putin for providing his military with Iskander short range missiles and S-400 air defense systems. He also said the countries agreed to continue hold joint military exercises. Read more: Kyiv targeted in early morning drone attack: Authorities Belarus is believed to have Soviet-era weapons stockpiles that could be useful for Moscow. Lukashenko, meanwhile, needs help with his country’s ailing economy. It was a rare trip to Minsk by Putin, who usually receives Lukashenko in Russia. Moscow has kept up its war effort despite Western sanctions and the supply of Western air defense systems to Ukrainian forces. Sitting beside Lukashenko, Putin emphasized their close military-technical ties. He said they include not only mutual supplies of equipment but also joint work in high-tech military industries. Analysts say the Kremlin might be seeking some kind of Belarusian military support for its Ukraine operations. But the winter weather and Russia’s depleted resources mean any big Russian attack probably won’t come soon, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a think tank in Washington. “The capacity of the Russian military, even reinforced by elements of the Belarusian armed forces, to prepare and conduct effective large-scale mechanized offensive operations in the next few months remains questionable,” it said in an assessment published Sunday. It concluded that “it is unlikely that Lukashenko will commit the Belarusian military (which would also have to be re-equipped) to the invasion of Ukraine.” In Ukraine, multiple explosive drones attacked the capital before dawn. The attack came three days after what Ukrainian officials described as one of Russia's biggest assaults on Kyiv since the war started. Russia launched 23 self-exploding drones over Kyiv while the city slept, but Ukrainian forces shot down 18 of them, the Kyiv city administration said on Telegram. No major casualties were reported from the attack, although the Ukrainian president’s office said the war killed at least three civilians and wounded 11 elsewhere in the country between Sunday and Monday. The drone barrage caused emergency power outages in 11 central and eastern regions, including the capital region, authorities said. Read more: Dead boy pulled from rubble of latest Russian hit on Ukraine Monday was St. Nicholas Day, which marks the start of the Christmas holidays in Ukraine and is when children typically receive their first gifts hidden under pillows. “This is how Russians congratulated our children on the holiday,” Serhii Kruk, the head of Ukraine's State Emergency Service, wrote on Telegram, attaching photos of firefighters at a stricken infrastructure facility. “In the night when everyone is waiting for a miracle, the terrorist country continues to terrorize the peaceful Ukrainian people,” said Ukraine’s human rights chief, Dmytro Lubinets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded for Western countries to send sophisticated air defense systems as winter tightens its grip. “A 100% air defense shield for Ukraine will be one of the most successful steps against Russian aggression,” Zelenskyy said by video link at a northern European regional threat conference in Latvia. “This step is needed right now.” Wreckage from the downed drones damaged a road in the Solomianskyi district and broke windows in a multistory building in the Shevchenkyvskyi district of Kyiv, city officials said. One drone hit the home of Olha and Ivan Kobzarenko, ages 84 and 83, in the outskirts of the capital. Ivan sustained a head injury. Their garage was destroyed and their dog, Malysh, was killed. Olha, speaking in her bedroom where shattered glass and blood covered the floor, said the blast flung the front gate into the house. “I know that I am not alone,” she said. “Everyone is suffering. Everyone.” Nina Sobol, a 59-year-old clerk at one of Kyiv’s power companies, was going to work when the strikes happened. Like many of her colleagues, she waited outside while emergency services inspected damage. “I feel really anxious," she said. "Anxious because you never know at which moment there will be an incoming missile.” Ukraine's air force said on Telegram that its personnel were able to destroy 30 of at least 35 self-exploding drones that Russia launched across the country from the eastern side of the Azov Sea on Ukraine's southeast coast. Russia is on the other side of the sea. The Ukrainian military has reported increasing success in shooting down incoming Russian missiles and drones, but Zelenskyy said Moscow had received a fresh batch of drones from Iran. Meanwhile, warships from Russia’s Pacific Fleet set off Monday for joint naval drills with China. The exercise follows a series of joint maneuvers that have highlighted growing military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing as they both face tensions with the United States. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the U.S. was treading on dangerous ground by getting involved in the war in Ukraine. “This dangerous and shortsighted policy has put the U.S. and Russia on the brink of a direct confrontation,” Zakharova said in a statement Monday. “Moscow is calling on Joe Biden’s administration to soberly assess the situation and refrain from dangerous escalation.” At the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he sees no prospect of talks to end the war in the immediate future. “I strongly hope that in 2023, we’ll be able to reach peace in Ukraine,” Guterres said.

Leader of the Opposition and Head of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer on Saturday said ‘Bangladesh and the UK are bound by excellent ties and further reinforced by the British-Bangladesh diaspora’. He observed this during his meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her place of residence here. The prime minister is in London on a four-day visit to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. According to a press release, Sheikh Hasina reiterated her profound condolences at the Queen’s demise. Also read: Commonwealth must keep Queen's memory alive: PM Hasina Starmer thanked the prime minister for her tribute in memory of the Queen. They also recalled Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s meeting and personal rapport with the former Labour prime minister Harold Wilson. Hasina thanked the Labour leader for his messages on the occasions of Bangabandhu’s birth centenary and the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence. He recalled his visit to Bangladesh in 2016 and his meeting with the prime minister at the time. He expressed satisfaction at the growing number of people of Bangladesh origin being elected to offices from the Labour Party around the UK. He said that the Labour Party was working on promoting and nurturing young generation leaders that should attract more British-Bangladeshi youth. The two leaders discussed the impact of the war in Ukraine, particularly on the Global South. PM Hasina underscored the need for a negotiated settlement of the conflict to protect common people around the world from food, energy and financial insecurities. She suggested reviewing whether the sanctions imposed in the wake of the war were having otherwise implications for people in the developing countries. The two sides exchanged views on the possible impacts on bilateral trade relations due to the ongoing inflationary pressures and cost-of-living crisis. The Labour Party leader said they would continue to advocate for the big retailers in the UK and the West to share the costs with the readymade garment manufacturers. Starmer appreciated Bangladesh’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic under the prime minister’s leadership. He reiterated the Labour Party’s commitment to work with vulnerable countries like Bangladesh on climate change issues. Also read: Bangladesh eager to take part in vaccine research & development: PM The Bangladesh premier appreciated the widening climate partnership between the two countries. Hasina briefed the Labour Party leader about the growing burden on Bangladesh due to the prolonged presence of the Rohingya from Myanmar. They discussed the recent flare-up of armed conflicts in close proximity to Bangladesh’s border. The prime minister pointed out that Bangladesh was exercising the utmost restraint despite spill-over effects of the conflicts inside its territory. Later, Lord Swaraj Paul of Marylebone paid a courtesy call on her The veteran Member of the UK House of Lords reiterated his appreciation for the prime minister’s leadership. He expressed interest in further promoting business and education partnerships between the two countries.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reiterated that despite the Covid-19 fallout and the Russia-Ukraine war, Bangladesh economy continues to be in robust shape and that her government is exercising due diligence when taking any loan. In an interview with Indian news agency ANI, Prime Minister Hasina ruled out concerns that Bangladesh could go the Sri Lanka way. She said that currently the world as a whole was facing challenges, not just Bangladesh. Read:“Not only Bangladesh, in India minorities suffered too at times” “Our economy is still going strong… We faced the Covid-19 pandemic, and now the Russia-Ukraine war. That has its effects here. But Bangladesh always makes debt payments timely. So, our debt rate is low. Our economic trajectory and development are (planned) calculatedly,” said the prime minister. Hasina, however, acknowledged that the war in Ukraine has posed some challenges for Bangladesh. “It has negative effects, no doubt, especially in terms of import,” she said. Hasina asserted that because of measured approach, Bangladesh was secure on the economic front. Bangladesh did not take any loan unless it was sure that it would benefit from the project undertaken, she said. Read:“Differences can be resolved through dialogue, Bangladesh-India do precisely that” “I think the whole world is facing economic problems, we are too… But yes, there are people who raise this issue. ‘Oh, Bangladesh will be Sri Lanka!’ This and that. But I can assure you, no, that will not happen. Because we... all our development plans, what we prepare and we implement, we always consider what the returns would be… how people would be benefitted… Otherwise, we don’t initiate any project just to spend money,” she said. “… The moment Covid-19 pandemic started, I called upon our people, and we provided all kinds of support and inputs, up to the village level, and also encouraged our people to grow more food items. I always supported them,” PM Hasina said during interview with ANI. Read Teesta mainly depends on India: PM Hasina tells ANI

Worldwide food insecurity, climate crisis, the war in Ukraine and other emergencies from Africa to Afghanistan, forced around 100 million people to flee their homes, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said Thursday. Today, one in every 78 people on earth is displaced; it is a "dramatic milestone" that few would have expected a decade ago, the agency added. By the end of 2021, the number displaced by war, violence, persecution and human rights abuses stood at 89.3 million, according to the UNHCR's annual Global Trends report. That was up eight percent from 2020 and "well over double the figure of 10 years ago," the report's authors said, attributing last year's increase to numerous escalating conflicts "and new ones that flared." "Every year of the last decade, the numbers climbed," said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi. "Either the international community comes together to take action to address this human tragedy, resolve conflicts and find lasting solutions, or this terrible trend will continue." The 100 million displaced figure was reached in May, 10 weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted a global cereal and fertiliser shortage from these major exporters. In all, 23 countries with a combined population of 850 million faced "medium or high-intensity conflicts," the UN agency said, citing World Bank data. Among the 89.3 million globally displaced last year, 27.1 million were refugees – 21.3 million under the UNHCR's mandate, and 5.8 million Palestinians under the care of the UN Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA. Another 53.2 million were internally displaced people, 4.6 million asylum seekers, and 4.4 million Venezuelans left with little option but to flee their country's economic and political crisis. Data from the UNHCR report underscored the crucial role played by the world's developing nations in sheltering displaced people, with low and middle-income nations hosting more than four in five of the world's refugees. With 3.8 million refugees within its borders, Türkiye hosts the largest number of refugees, followed by Colombia, with 1.8 million (including Venezuelan nationals), Uganda and Pakistan (1.5 million each) and Germany (1.3 million). Also read: Nearly 37 million children displaced worldwide: UNICEF

Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) awarded  over $500,000 in compensation to the family of deceased naval engineer Hadisur Rahman, and 7 months' pay to other crew of the Banglar Samriddhi, that came under a rocket attack at the port of Olvia in Ukraine. State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury handed the $5,05,000 cheque to Hadisur’s family and seven months’ salary to other crew members at a programme held at the city’s BSC Tower. Besides, Hadisur’s brother has also been appointed at BSC as compensation. The state minister said, "We will not get Hadisur back." He said Hadisur's father told him over the phone, “Hadisur was our only source of income what would we do without him? This check is the answer for that also Hadisur's brother has been arranged a job BSC and later he will be given a permanent job in an agency under the Ministry of Shipping according to his qualifications.” On March 3, Hadisur, 47-year-old third engineer of Bangladeshi vessel ‘Banglar Samriddhi’, was killed in a rocket attack on the ship stranded at Ukrainian port Olvia. The BSC ship was positioned in the inner anchorage of Olvia port (Ukraine) when Hadisur was killed. On March 9, 28 surviving crew members of the Bangladeshi ship who were stranded in war-torn Ukraine, arrived back in Dhaka. They went from Ukraine to Moldova to reach Bucharest in Romania, from where they flew to Dhaka. The Bangladesh Shipping Corporation ship had been stranded at Olvia port in Ukraine since February 23, following Russia's invasion of its eastern European neighbour. Hadisur’s body was preserved in a bunker near Ukraine as the procedure to bring it back was delayed due to the worsening situation in Ukraine. Later, on March 14, his body did reach Dhaka. Also read: Hadisur buried in Barguna

Russia claimed Tuesday it has occupied large swaths of eastern Ukraine after a relentless, weekslong barrage and the recent deployment of more troops. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow’s forces have control of 97% of the Luhansk region. Russia has declared that fully capturing the entire Donbas, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and where Russia-backed separatists have fought the Ukrainian government since 2014, is its main goal in the invasion of its neighboring country which began Feb. 24. The region recently has been bearing the brunt of the Russian onslaught. It’s not clear whether Russia would try to expand its offensive elsewhere in Ukraine if it takes the Donbas. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned Monday that if the West provides Ukraine with long-range rockets capable of reaching Russian territory, Moscow will respond by pressing its offensive deeper into Ukraine. Early in the war, the Russian troops also took control of the entire Kherson region and a large part of the Zaporizhzhia region in the south. Russian officials and their local appointees have mulled plans for those regions to either declare their independence or be folded into Russia. But while the Kremlin’s forces have superior firepower, the Ukrainians defenders — among them the country’s most well-trained forces — are entrenched and have shown the capability to counterattack. Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, claimed that Russian forces have seized the residential quarters of Sievierodonetsk and are fighting to take control of an industrial zone on its outskirts and the nearby towns. Sievierodonetsk, the administrative center of the Luhansk region, has recently been the focus of the Russian offensive. Sievierodonetsk and nearby Lysychansk are the only two Donbas cities holding out against the Russian invasion, which is being helped by local pro-Kremlin forces. Shoigu added that the Russian troops were pressing their offensive toward the town of Popasna and noted that they have taken control of Lyman and Sviatohirsk and 15 other towns in the region. Popasna is a town with a pre-war population of 20,000 located about 30 kilometers (nearly 20 miles) south of Sievierodonetsk. Also Read: Ukraine recovers bodies from steel-plant siege Shoigu said 6,489 Ukrainian troops have been taken prisoner since the start of the military action in Ukraine, including 126 over the past five days. Moscow is deploying troop reinforcements in eastern Ukraine as a Russian artillery barrage aimed to grind down Ukrainian defenses, a Ukrainian official said. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak urged his people not to be downhearted about the battlefield reverses. “Don’t let the news that we’ve ceded something scare you,” he said in a video address. “It is clear that tactical maneuvers are ongoing. We cede something, we take something back.” Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai conceded that Russian forces control the industrial outskirts of Sievierodonetsk. “Toughest street battles continue, with varying degrees of success,” Haidai told The Associated Press. “The situation constantly changes, but the Ukrainians are repelling attacks.” Moscow’s strategy has suffered numerous setbacks, however, since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, including a failed attempt to take Kyiv, the capital. Moscow’s forces also kept up its artillery barrage of Lysychansk. Haidai said Russian troops shelled a local market, a school and a college building, destroying the latter. Three wounded people were sent to hospitals in other parts of Ukraine, he said. “A total destruction of the city is underway, Russian shelling has intensified significantly over the past 24 hours. Russians are using scorched earth tactics,” Haidai said. In all, Ukrainian forces had repelled 10 Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours, according to Haidai. His report couldn’t be independently verified. Ukraine is receiving weapons and ammunition from the West to help fend off relentless Russian attacks. That assistance has become a target for Russian artillery and warplanes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that his country’s military is outgunned and still needed Western help to face down the Russians. “We are inferior in terms of equipment and therefore we are not capable of advancing,” Zelenskyy said at a Financial Times Global Boardroom conference Tuesday While insisting on Ukraine’s need to defeat Russian on the battlefield, Zelenskyy said he was still open to peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Financial Times. He also bemoaned that Western sanctions “have not really influenced the Russian position,” the FT reported. Russia claimed Tuesday its forces took out two artillery systems given by the United States and a howitzer supplied by Norway. Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the Russian artillery barrage destroyed other Ukrainian equipment in the country’s east while the Russian air force hit Ukrainian troops and equipment concentrations and artillery positions. Konashenkov’s claims couldn’t be independently confirmed. The war brought a standoff Tuesday between the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog and Ukrainian authorities over a power plant in southern Ukraine. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director Rafael Mariano Grossi wants to visit to the Zaporizhzhia plant, the largest in Europe, to help maintain its safety and security after being taken by Russian troops in early March. But Energoatom, the Ukrainian state company overseeing the country’s nuclear power plants, said in a blunt statement that Grossi wasn’t welcome. It said his planned tour was “yet another attempt to legitimize the occupier’s presence there.” Amid fears on international markets of a global food crisis due to the war, the Kremlin says Ukraine needs to remove sea mines near its Black Sea port of Odesa to allow essential grain exports to resume from there. Asked about a possible deal to allow grain shipments from Odesa, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday that Ukraine’s removal of the mines would allow commercial vessels to dock in Odesa. He noted that the Russian military would need to check those ships to make sure they don’t carry weapons. He added that after they are loaded with grain, Russia will help escort the ships to international waters. 

Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine is creating a perfect storm which could shatter the economies of many developing countries, according to the UN. The UN remained "intensely focused on practical steps to save lives and reduce human suffering" inside Ukraine, but for many developing countries, the climate crisis, growing debt and economic insecurity, were now compounded by "ballooning energy costs and growing hunger" due to the war that is crippling Ukraine's food exports, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at the Stockholm+50 conference Wednesday. He called for quick and decisive action to ensure a steady flow of food and energy in open markets, by lifting export restrictions, allocating surpluses and reserves to vulnerable populations, and addressing food price increases to calm market volatility. But there would be no solution, without bringing Ukraine's food production back into the global market, alongside food and fertiliser from Russia. "Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths and UN trade and development chief Rebeca Grynspan are working on an agreement for the safe and secure export of Ukrainian-produced food through the Black Sea along with unimpeded access of Russian food and fertilisers to global markets, especially developing countries," Guterres said.

The Ukraine war and other conflicts pushed the number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution over the staggering milestone of 100 million for the first time on record, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has said. “One hundred million is a stark figure -- sobering and alarming in equal measure. It’s a record that should never have been set,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi on Sunday. Also read:UNHCR, partners call for sustained funding, support for Rohingyas “This must serve as a wake-up call to resolve and prevent destructive conflicts, end persecution, and address the underlying causes that force innocent people to flee their homes”. According to UNHCR, the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide rose to 90 million by the end of 2021, propelled by new waves of violence or protracted conflict in countries including Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2022, the war in Ukraine has displaced 8 million within the country this year and forced around 6 million to leave the nation. Staggering record 100 million people forcibly displaced worldwide represents 1% of the global population and is equivalent to the 14th most populous country in the world. The number includes refugees and asylum seekers as well as the 53.2 million people displaced inside their borders by conflict. “The international response to people fleeing war in Ukraine has been overwhelmingly positive,” Grandi added. “Compassion is alive, and we need a similar mobilization for all crises around the world. But ultimately, humanitarian aid is a palliative, not a cure. To reverse this trend, the only answer is peace and stability so that innocent people are not forced to gamble between acute danger at home or precarious flight and exile”. Last week, the International Organization for Migration informed that a record 59.1 million people were displaced within their homelands last year, four million more than in 2020. Also read:UNHCR seeks steps to improve wellbeing of Myanmar refugees in Thailand Conflict and violence triggered 14.4 million internal displacements in 2021, a nearly 50 per cent increase over the previous year. Meanwhile, weather-related events such as floods, storms and cyclones resulted in some 23.7 million internal displacements in 2021, mainly in the Asia-Pacific region.

As he listened to his father die, the boy lay still on the asphalt. His elbow burned where a bullet had pierced him. His thumb stung from being grazed.   Another killing was in progress on a lonely street in Bucha, the community on the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, where bodies of civilians are still being discovered weeks after Russian soldiers withdrew. Many had been shot in the head. The 14-year-old Yura Nechyporenko was about to become one of them. Survivors have described soldiers firing guns near their feet or threatening them with grenades, only to be drawn away by a cooler-headed colleague. But there was no one around to restrain the Russian soldier that day in March when Yura and his father, 47-year-old Ruslan, were biking down a tree-lined street. They were on their way to visit vulnerable neighbors sheltering in basements and homes without electricity or running water. Their bikes were tied with white fabric, in a sign they traveled in peace. When the soldier stepped from a dirt path to challenge them, Yura and his father immediately stopped and raised their hands. Also Read: Russia hits Ukraine’s east as Finland moves toward NATO bid “What are you doing?” Yura remembers the soldier asking. The soldier didn’t give Yura’s father time to answer. A shot hit Yura’s hand, and he fell, too. Another shot struck his elbow. He closed his eyes. A final shot was fired. This story is part of an ongoing investigation from The Associated Press and Frontline that includes the War Crimes Watch Ukraine interactive experience and an upcoming documentary. Yura’s extraordinary account alleging an attempted killing by Russian soldiers stands out as international justice experts descend on Bucha, a center of the horrors and possible war crimes in Ukraine. More than 1,000 bodies have been found so far in Bucha and other communities around Kyiv. In Bucha alone, 31 children under the age of 18 were killed and 19 wounded, according to local authorities. “All children were killed or injured deliberately, since the Russian soldiers deliberately shot at evacuating cars that had the signs ‘CHILDREN’ and white fabric tied to them, and they deliberately shot at the homes of civilians,” the chief prosecutor of the Bucha region, Ruslan Kravchenko, told the AP. The U.N. human rights office says at least 202 children across Ukraine have been killed in Russia’s invasion, and believes the real number to be considerably higher. The Ukrainian government’s count is 217 children killed and over 390 wounded. The AP and Frontline, drawing from a variety of sources, have independently documented 21 attacks where children were killed that likely meet the definition of a war crime, ranging from the discovery of a child in a shallow grave in Borodyanka to the bombing of a theater in Mariupol. The total number of child victims in the attacks is unknown, and the accounting represents just a fraction of potential war crimes. Yura is a teenager growing into himself, spindly and spotted, with dark circles pressed under his eyes. Adulthood has been rushed upon him. As he lies on the floor of his family’s home to demonstrate what happened, he shows the healing holes in his elbow. His mother, Alla, takes deep breaths to calm herself. Yura, sitting up, wraps an arm around her, then puts his head on her shoulder. On that awful day, Yura survived the attempted killing by the awkward grace of that teenage constant, his gray hoodie. It was shot instead of him, and he felt it move. Yura lay on the street for minutes afterward, waiting for the soldier to walk away. Also Read: Ukraine reports more airstrikes on Azovstal Then Yura ran. He reached the kindergarten where his mother worked, and where some residents used the basement as a shelter. They were shocked to see the boy and gave him first aid. He realized he needed to go home. He returned to the streets, not knowing where the next soldier might be. When he arrived home, his family called the police. The police said they could do nothing because they didn’t control the area, according to the family. The ambulance service said the same. The police told the family that officers didn’t know what to do with the case, according to the boy’s uncle, Andriy. A prosecutor’s report describes the killing and attempted killing in a few bare sentences, including the loss of a cellphone belonging to Yura’s father. He would have been of help now — he’d been a lawyer. Kravchenko told the AP that they continue to work on Yura’s case, and expressed confidence that crimes committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine can be successfully investigated. Among other things, footage from dozens of surveillance cameras in Bucha is being analyzed, and an identification album of Russian soldiers’ faces is being assembled. In March, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced that investigations into crimes against children in particular will benefit from a new trust fund. Children account for half or more of those affected by conflict, but are often labeled as too vulnerable to testify or as having inaccurate memories, according to Veronique Aubert, the special adviser on crimes involving children to the prosecutor of the ICC. Yura’s case is unusual. “Prosecutors may want to take up this case because the victim is still alive and can potentially testify,” said Ryan Goodman, a law professor at New York University and former special counsel for the U.S. Defense Department. “It may be difficult if not impossible for a defendant to claim they were somehow justified in trying to kill a child.”    

President Joe Biden wants to put a spotlight on the spike in food prices from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when he travels to an Illinois farm to emphasize how U.S. agricultural exports can relieve the financial pressures being felt worldwide. The war in Ukraine has disrupted the supply of that country’s wheat to global markets, while also triggering higher costs for oil, natural gas and fertilizer. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said its food price index in April jumped nearly 30% from a year ago, though the index did decline slightly on a monthly basis. Americans are also bearing some pain as food prices are up 8.8% from a year ago, the most since May 1981. The trip to Illinois on Wednesday is an opportunity for Biden to tackle two distinct challenges that are shaping his presidency. First, his approval has been dogged by high inflation and his visit will coincide with the release of the May consumer price index, which economists say should show a declining rate of inflation for the first time since August. Read: Trump-backed US Rep. Alex Mooney wins W.Va. GOP primary But much more broadly, it’s an opportunity to reinforce America’s distinct role in helping to alleviate the challenges caused by the war in Ukraine. The trip follows a similar pattern as Biden’s recent visit to an Alabama weapons factory highlighted the anti-tank Javelin missiles provided by the U.S. to Ukraine. “He’s going to talk about the support we need to continue to give to farmers to help continue to produce more and more domestically,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. “Just as we are providing weapons, we are going to work on doing what we can to support farmers to provide more wheat and other food around the world.” The president noted in remarks Tuesday about inflation that Ukraine has 20 million metric tons of wheat and corn in storage that the U.S. and its allies are trying to help ship out of the country. This would help to address some supply issues, though challenges could persist. Several House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, met with Biden on Tuesday after having visited Ukraine. They warned that the food shortage meant the consequences of the war started by Russian President Vladimir Putin would extend well beyond Ukrainian borders to some of the world’s poorest nations. Read: Biden, Mexican president confer on migration, diplomacy “It’s going to result in a hunger crisis, much worse than anybody anticipated,” Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern following the White House meeting. An analysis this month for the center-right American Enterprise Institute by Joseph Glauber and David Laborde noted that countries in the Middle East and North Africa are mostly likely to suffer from the higher prices caused by grain shortages. There are limits to how much wheat the U.S. can produce to offset any shortages. The Agriculture Departmen t estimated in March that 47.4 million acres of wheat were planted this year, an increase of just 1% from 2021. This would be the fifth lowest amount of acres dedicated to wheat in records that go back to 1919. Biden will be traveling with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to Illinois. After the president speaks at the farm, he will go to Chicago to speak at a convention for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.