Hawaii's Attorney General Anne Lopez said on Friday (August 11) that she was opening an investigation into how authorities responded to devastating wildfires which have left 89 people already dead and the toll is expected to rise as search and rescue operations are finally picking up in the regions devastated and burnt down completely.

Hawaii's Attorney General Anne Lopez said on Friday (August 11) that she was opening an investigation into how authorities responded to devastating wildfires which have left 89 people already dead and the toll is expected to rise as search and rescue operations are finally picking up in the regions devastated and burnt down completely. "The Department of the Attorney General will be conducting a comprehensive review of critical decision-making and standing policies leading up to, during, and after the wildfires on Maui and Hawai'i islands this week," a statement from Lopez's office said. "The Department of the Attorney General shares the grief felt by all in Hawaii, and our hearts go out to everyone affected by this tragedy," the statement said. It added that Lopez's department was committed to understanding the decisions that were made before and during the wildfires and to sharing the results of this review with the public. "As we continue to support all aspects of the ongoing relief effort, now is the time to begin this process of understanding," the statement also said. Sixty-seven dead so far; 85% of fire contained The death toll due to the wildfires has climbed to 89, and officials have warned that search teams with cadaver dogs could still find more bodies. In a statement, Maui County said that the Lahaina wildfire that spread from the brush to town was still burning but 85% of it has been contained. Two other wildfires on the island were 80 per cent and 50 per cent contained, the statement added. Also read | Maui wildfires: Largest banyan tree, 200-year-old church among landmarks charred Attorney General Lopez's announcement to open the investigation comes amid mounting criticism over the official response to the wildfires. Residents of Lahaina have complained that there were no warnings about the blaze, which trapped people in the town. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, county officials began allowing Lahaina residents back to their homes on Friday, even though much of Maui's western side remained without power and water. Police barricaded central Lahaina as health officials warned the burnt areas were highly toxic and that inhaling dust and airborne particles was hazardous. Multiple flights to Maui cancelled Multiple cities across the United States cancelled their flights to Maui due to the wildfires. On Thursday, United Airlines Holdings said it cancelled flights to Kahului Airport in Maui and would fly empty aircraft to the wild-wire hit region to bring passengers to the mainland. The Alaska Air Group flagged some delays earlier on Thursday but said it was sticking to its regular flight schedule to Maui. The group also said that it was adding an extra flight to facilitate rescue efforts and may consider including more depending on the situation. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Maui wildfires: Hawaii attorney general opens probe as death toll climbs to 89

Thousands of hackers are tricking artificial intelligence (AI) to expose its flaws and biases. According to a report by the news agency Bloomberg on Saturday (August 12), hacker Kennedy Mays tricked a large language model by convincing an algorithm to say 9 + 10 = 21.

Thousands of hackers are tricking artificial intelligence (AI) to expose its flaws and biases. According to a report by the news agency Bloomberg on Saturday (August 12), hacker Kennedy Mays tricked a large language model by convincing an algorithm to say 9 + 10 = 21. Mays, who is a student in Savannah, said, “It was a back-and-forth conversation.” At first, the model agreed to say it was part of an “inside joke” between them. However, several prompts later, it eventually stopped qualifying the errant sum in any way at all. The report said that producing "Bad Math" is just one of the ways thousands of hackers are trying to expose flaws and biases in generative AI systems at a contest taking place at the DEF CON hacking conference this weekend in Las Vegas. The participants in the conference testing that whether the AI models produced by companies including Google, Meta, and OpenAI would make any missteps, for example, claiming to be human, or advocating abuse among others. The challenges beyond 'Bad Math' The contest aims to see if companies can ultimately build new guardrails to rein in some of the prodigious problems increasingly associated with large language models (LLMs). LLMs have the power to transform everything from finance to hiring, with some companies already starting to integrate them into how they do business. However, researchers have turned up extensive bias and other problems that threaten to spread inaccuracies and injustice if the technology is deployed at scale, the report said. Disclose credit card details, Obama was born in Kenya: How AI was tricked Speaking to Bloomberg, Kennedy Mays said her biggest concern is inherent bias. Mays added that she was particularly concerned about racism, and she asked the model to consider the First Amendment from the perspective of a member of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) She said the model ended up endorsing hateful and discriminatory speech. During the contest, one of the hackers convinced the algorithm to disclose credit-card details it was not supposed to share. Another competitor tricked the machine into saying Barack Obama was born in Kenya. Sven Cattell, who founded DEF CON’s AI Hacking Village, cautions that it’s impossible to completely test AI systems. Cattell predicted the total number of people who have ever actually tested LLMs could double as a result of the weekend contest. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Hackers are tricking AI to expose its flaws: '9 + 10 = 21'

Police in West Bengal's Kolkata have arrested two more people in connection with the ragging and subsequent death of a student of Jadavpur University, according to Indian media reports on Sunday (August 13).

Police in West Bengal's Kolkata have arrested two more people in connection with the ragging and subsequent death of a student of Jadavpur University, according to Indian media reports on Sunday (August 13). Eighteen-year-old Swapnadip Kundu, a first-year undergraduate student of Bengali (Honours) at the university, fell to death from the second-floor balcony of the main hostel building on Wednesday night. He was taken to a hospital where he died early Thursday. According to a report by NDTV, the Kolkata Police have now arrested Deepshekhar Dutta, a second-year economics student, and Manotosh Ghosh, a second-year sociology student for their involvement in the incident. Earlier, Sourabh Chowdhury, an ex-student of the university, was arrested following an FIR lodged by Kundu's father. Police probing sexual harassment angle Citing sources in the police, the NDTV report said an angle of sexual harassment was being investigated. The sources added that some social media posts indicated that students at the university often faced lewd remarks and were forced to perform sexual acts. Earlier, a 10-member committee was dispatched to the Jadavpur University Hostel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the student's death. Child rights body visits house of dead student Also on Sunday, a team of the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights visited the house of Kundu and met his family members. The team was led by Ananya Chatterjee, who is an adviser to the commission. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Jadavpur Univ student death: 2 more arrested, police probing sexual harassment angle

Former British prime minister Tony Blair's institute kept advising and receiving money from Saudi Arabi following the murder of prominent Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair's institute kept advising and receiving money from Saudi Arabi following the murder of prominent Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. According to a report by The Sunday Times on Sunday (August 13), for the past six years, Blair's Institute for Global Change has been helping Saudi Arabia to craft Vision 2030, the modernisation programme spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The report said that the partnership, worth millions of pounds, started in late 2017 when the Institute for Global Change seconded staff to work at the Saudi ministry of information and culture. As part of the contract which was a year-long the institute's consultants advised Saudi officials on “the policy and objectives of the reform programme,” the publication reported citing Blair's spokesperson. During the deal's final months in 2018, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman faced condemnation over the murder of Khashoggi by Saudi agents. Blair considered whether to suspend ties with Saudi Arabia Following the murder of Khashoggi, Tony Blair considered whether to suspend ties with the Saudi Prince and the kingdom at large as many senior staff suggested to the former British PM that there were reputational and ethical grounds to do so. However, he feared he would lose influence with the prince, the report also said. In a statement shared with The Sunday Times, Blair's office said he the “view then and remains strongly of the view now that staying engaged there is justified” despite the “terrible crime” in question. Blair based his view on the “immense and positive importance” of the crown prince’s reforms and the country’s “strategic importance” to the West, the statement added. A continuing relationship The report further said that Blair's institute completed the contract with the Saudi ministry of information. According to his spokesperson, the contract was not renewed. Since then, the institute has entered into separate deals with Riyadh. The report pointed out that at the time of Khashoggi's death, Blair had only recently created his non-profit after years of criticism for failing to separate his role as a Middle Eastern peace envoy from his consultancy work at Tony Blair Associates- through which he advised controversial world leaders. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Ex-UK PM Tony Blair's institute kept receiving money from Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi's murder: Report

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (August 13) urged citizens to participate in the central government's "Har Ghar Tiranga" campaign. Taking to Twitter, which has now been rebranded to X, Modi asked citizens to change the profile photograph of their social media accounts to that of 'Tiranga' (India's tricolour).

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (August 13) urged citizens to participate in the central government's "Har Ghar Tiranga" campaign. Taking to Twitter, which has now been rebranded to X, Modi asked citizens to change the profile photograph of their social media accounts to that of 'Tiranga' (India's tricolour). "In the spirit of the #HarGharTiranga movement, let us change the DP of our social media accounts and extend support to this unique effort which will deepen the bond between our beloved country and us," Modi said as his profile photograph changed to the national flag. The Tiranga symbolises the spirit of freedom and national unity. Every Indian has an emotional connect with the Tricolour and it inspires us to work harder to further national progress. I urge you all to take part in the #HarGharTiranga movement between 13th to 15th August.… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 11, 2023 × "The Tiranga symbolises the spirit of freedom and national unity. Every Indian has an emotional connect with the Tricolour and it inspires us to work harder to further national progress. I urge you all to take part in the #HarGharTiranga movement between 13th to 15th August. Upload your photos with the Tiranga here... https://harghartiranga.com," the prime minister added. The Har Ghar Tiranga campaign was launched by the government last year to inspire citizens to hoist the national flag on their premises from August 13-15. On Friday, a Tiranga bike rally was organised in New Delhi wherein members of parliament (MPs) and ministers took part. "The idea behind the campaign is to instill the feeling of patriotism in the hearts of people and reminisce the journey of India and those who have contributed towards creating this great nation. Last year, this campaign witnessed immense success wherein Crores of households hoisted the Tiranga in their homes physically and six Crore people uploaded selfies on the Har Ghar Tiranga website," according to a government statement. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Independence Day: Indian PM urges nation to take part in 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign

United States 2024 presidential election hopeful and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy turned a rapper on Saturday (August 12) during the Iowa State Fair as part of the election campaign. Ramaswamy rapped lyrics of Eminem's track "Lose Yourself" which is his favourite walk-out tune at campaign events.

“The whole crowd goes so loud, he opens his mouth but the words won’t come out, he’s choking, how, everybody’s joking now, the clock’s run out, time’s up, OVER BLAOW!” Ramaswamy rapped as the crowd reacted with claps and cheers.&nbsp;

<h3>Here's a look at the video:</h3>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Vivek is having more fun than you should be legally allowed to have running for President 🎤 
 
<a href="https://t.co/yfxxaIaFcG">pic.twitter.com/yfxxaIaFcG</a>
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1690380324566450176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Ramaswamy's rap video garnered mixed reactions on social media. While some lauded the Republican for bringing in some fun, others criticised him. "Vivek should really run his own news and entertainment media company and not the United States of America," X (earlier called Twitter) user named Jaeson Velasco said on Saturday.&nbsp;

"Well, I guess we can add 'freestyle rapper'&nbsp;to the ever-growing list of presidential qualifications nowadays," another user named Vinay Washere posted.

Ramaswamy, who is a biotech entrepreneur is one of the top contenders in the Republican presidential race and is the third Indian-American to directly challenge former president Donald Trump in the run-up to next year's election.&nbsp;

Last month, a poll by Reuters/Ipsos showed that Trump was dominating the Republican presidential nomination contest with 47 per cent support within his party. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis got the support of 19 per cent while Ramaswamy and former vice president Mike Pence were at nine per cent and seven per cent respectively.&nbsp;

Ramaswamy, who only had three per cent support in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in June, has been putting considerable sums of his own money toward promoting his candidacy.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

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United States 2024 presidential election hopeful and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy turned a rapper on Saturday (August 12) during the Iowa State Fair as part of the election campaign.

United States 2024 presidential election hopeful and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy turned a rapper on Saturday (August 12) during the Iowa State Fair as part of the election campaign. Ramaswamy rapped lyrics of Eminem's track "Lose Yourself" which is his favourite walk-out tune at campaign events. “The whole crowd goes so loud, he opens his mouth but the words won’t come out, he’s choking, how, everybody’s joking now, the clock’s run out, time’s up, OVER BLAOW!” Ramaswamy rapped as the crowd reacted with claps and cheers. Here's a look at the video: Vivek is having more fun than you should be legally allowed to have running for President 🎤 pic.twitter.com/yfxxaIaFcG — Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 12, 2023 × Ramaswamy's rap video garnered mixed reactions on social media. While some lauded the Republican for bringing in some fun, others criticised him. "Vivek should really run his own news and entertainment media company and not the United States of America," X (earlier called Twitter) user named Jaeson Velasco said on Saturday. "Well, I guess we can add 'freestyle rapper' to the ever-growing list of presidential qualifications nowadays," another user named Vinay Washere posted. Ramaswamy, who is a biotech entrepreneur is one of the top contenders in the Republican presidential race and is the third Indian-American to directly challenge former president Donald Trump in the run-up to next year's election. Last month, a poll by Reuters/Ipsos showed that Trump was dominating the Republican presidential nomination contest with 47 per cent support within his party. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis got the support of 19 per cent while Ramaswamy and former vice president Mike Pence were at nine per cent and seven per cent respectively. Ramaswamy, who only had three per cent support in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in June, has been putting considerable sums of his own money toward promoting his candidacy. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Watch | US presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy raps to Eminem's 'Lose Yourself'

With just a week left for the August 20 election in Ecuador, the running mate of slain candidate Fernando Villavicencio will run for president in his place, the Construye party said on Saturday (August 12).

With just a week left for the August 20 election in Ecuador, the running mate of slain candidate Fernando Villavicencio will run for president in his place, the Construye party said on Saturday (August 12). "The movement will replace the presidential ticket by putting Andrea Gonzalez as president," the party said in a statement. Gonzalez, 36, is due to participate in a presidential debate in Quito on Sunday. Gonzalez was the vice-presidential running mate for Villavicencio. According to a report by the news agency AFP, her work has been focused on environmental advocacy, particularly concerning oceans and mangroves, as well as combatting wildlife trafficking and deforestation. Villavicencio’s Build party, or Construye in Spanish, announced on social media that Andrea González was replacing the 59-year-old as its presidential candidate in the 20 August vote. The Construye party statement also said that the name of the vice presidential candidate would be announced shortly, adding the candidate would be chosen among the most trusted of those who shared the struggles of Villavicencio. Six Colombians arrested for Villavicencio's assassination Six Colombians have so far been arrested and another killed over the assassination of Villaviencio. They have been charged with murder and the investigation continues. Last week, Villavicencio, a journalist, and a prominent anti-corruption crusader, was gunned down as he left a campaign rally in the capital city of Quito. He had been receiving threats from Los Choneros, one of the country's most powerful drug gangs. On Thursday, Ecuador declared a state of emergency for two months. According to Interior Minister Juan Zapata, the assailants belonged to "organized crime groups," without specifying which ones. Current President Guillermo Lasso said the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) accepted Ecuador's request for help, with a delegation arriving soon. Govt responsible for Villavicencio's murder: Widow Veronica Sarauz, the widow of Villavicencio, said on Saturday that the government was responsible for her husband's murder. “They did not protect him as they should have protected him, the state was in charge of Fernando's security, the state is directly responsible for the murder of my husband Fernando Villavicencio. The state still has to give many answers about everything that happened, his personal guards did not do their job, I do not want to think that they sold my husband to be murdered in this infamous way,” Sarauz told reporters. She also expressed disappointment over the decision of the Construye to name Andrea Gonzalez as the presidential candidate. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Ecuador poll: Running mate of slain candidate Fernando Villavicencio to run for president

Monsoon in India slipped into the negative zone on Friday (August 11) with an overall deficit of one per cent after a sustained dry spell this month. Rainfall across India since June 1 remained within the normal range of ±4, while the monsoon in August till now has been 29 per cent below the long-period average with the southern part of the country having been particularly dry, says a report in the Times of India (TOI).

Monsoon in India slipped into the negative zone on Friday (August 11) with an overall deficit of one per cent after a sustained dry spell this month. Rainfall across India since June 1 remained within the normal range of ±4, while the monsoon in August till now has been 29 per cent below the long-period average with the southern part of the country having been particularly dry, says a report in the Times of India (TOI). Citing experts, the report said the break in monsoon, which had started nearly a week back, was likely to continue till Wednesday (August 16). "It's a classical break in the monsoon that we are seeing for close to a week now. It may last till around August 16, when a low-pressure system may form over the Bay of Bengal followed by another a few days later," veteran meteorologist M Rajeevan told the publication. Rajeevan said these systems were likely to bring rain to states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and some adjoining areas, as per the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) forecast. However, the veteran meteorologist pointed out that widespread rainfall across the country was unlikely after August 20. IMD issues fresh rain alerts Meanwhile, the IMD issued fresh rain alerts on Friday. In a statement, the IMD said, "Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall likely to continue over Uttarakhand during next 5 days and over Bihar, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam & Meghalaya during next 2 days and isolated heavy rainfall thereafter for subsequent 3 days." "Subdued rainfall activity likely over rest parts of the country during next one week and likely revival of active Monsoon conditions thereafter," the statement added. The weather bureau said it is likely there would be light/moderate scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall over Himachal Pradesh till Sunday, over Uttarakhand till Tuesday (August 15), over Punjab and Haryana till Sunday, and over West Uttar Pradesh till Monday (August 14). In east India, "Light/moderate fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall activity very likely over Bihar, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim during 11th -13th August; over Gangetic West Bengal on 12th & 13th and over Jharkhand on 12th & 13th August. Isolated very heavy rainfall likely over Bihar and Sub-Himalaya West Bengal & Sikkim on 11th & 12th August," the statement further said. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Monsoon in India slips into negative zone following July surplus: Report

A 17-year-old Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) aspirant in Rajasthan's Kota hanged himself in his hotel room, the news agency PTI reported on Friday (August 11) citing the police.

A 17-year-old Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) aspirant in Rajasthan's Kota hanged himself in his hotel room, the news agency PTI reported on Friday (August 11) citing the police. The student was found hanging from the ceiling fan of his room in the Mahaveer Nagar area on Thursday evening, the police said. He was a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh and arrived in Kota around a year ago to prepare for the JEE at a coaching institute. Earlier this week, the student's father came to meet him in Kota and stayed with him for five days before leaving on Thursday afternoon. A police officer at the Jawahar Nagar police station said the 17-year-old took the extreme step only a few hours after his father left. Teen did not respond to his father's repeated calls The student had dinner at his hostel's mess on Thursday evening and returned to his room at around 7 pm. The police officer said that the student's father, who was on his way to Azamgarh, asked the hostel's caretaker to check on his son when he did not respond to his repeated calls. As the caretaker went to check on the student, he found him hanging from the fan, following which the police were informed. The teenager's body was placed in the mortuary, and a post-mortem was carried out after the arrival of his father who returned to Kota, the officer further told PTI. The body was handed over to the family on Friday. Stress from studies the reason behind suicide According to DSP Ghanshyam Meena, stress from studies appeared to be the reason behind the suicide. Meena said that the 17-year-old was scoring poorly in the routine tests held by his coaching institute and was also irregular in classes. Meena added that no suicide note was recovered. This is the 19th case of suicide in Kota so far this year by students preparing for competitive examinations. In two other similar incidents this month, two teenagers, a NEET aspirant aged 17, and a JEE aspirant aged 18, allegedly died by suicide in their respective hostel rooms on August 3 and 4. However, parents of the NEET aspirant have alleged that their son was killed and lodged a case of murder against six persons, including a minor classmate, hostel manager, and the owner. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

India: JEE aspirant dies by suicide in Kota, Rajasthan in 19th such case this year

The Islamabad High Court on Saturday (August 12) directed officials of Attock jail to provide medical facilities to former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, and also allow him to meet family and friends.

The Islamabad High Court on Saturday (August 12) directed officials of Attock jail to provide medical facilities to former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, and also allow him to meet family and friends. According to a report by Dawn, the high court also said that Khan, the chairperson of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, should be provided with prayer mat and English version of the Holy Quran. The court's announcement comes a day after the PTI expressed “serious apprehensions” over Khan’s safety in Attock Jail. Khan was arrested last Saturday (August 5) after being convicted of corruption in the Toshakhana case. The Islamabad trial court had ordered the Adiala Jail superintendent to receive Khan but he was taken to the Attock Jail. As per Dawn's report, the former prime minister was given B-class facilities by the Punjab prisons department. But his lawyers claimed he was kept in “distressing conditions” and was provided “C-Class jail facilities”. Khan had subsequently moved the high court seeking transfer from Attock Jail to a better class in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi. He also sought permission for regular visits by his legal team, family, political aides and physician to the jail. Wife meets Khan, says he's well On Thursday, Khan's wife and former first lady Bushra Bibi met him in jail. Bibi said that her husband was doing well, adding he was still being kept in the same smaller, more austere C-class cell. "We just talked to her after she came out after about a 30-minute meeting, who said to let everyone know that he was well," Khan's lawyer Naeem Panjutha told the news agency Reuters. High court seeks complete record of Toshakhana case On Saturday, the Islamabad High Court also sought the complete record of the Toshakhana case against Khan. The order was issued by a division bench comprising Justice Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri on the former PM’s petition against his conviction by a trial court in the said case, Dawn reported. The plea said the trial court order was “liable to be set aside” as it was passed “with the pre-disposed mind”. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Pakistan: Attock jail officials told to provide medical facilities to Imran Khan, allow him to meet kin

The European Union (EU) said on Friday (August 11) that it delivered 223,800 shells to war-torn Ukraine under the first part of a plan to provide a million artillery rounds to aid its fight against Russia.

The European Union (EU) said on Friday (August 11) that it delivered 223,800 shells to war-torn Ukraine under the first part of a plan to provide a million artillery rounds to aid its fight against Russia. "Member states have delivered around 223,800 artillery ammunition -- long-range self-propelled, precision-guided ammunitions as well as mortar ammunitions -- and 2,300 missiles of all types," EU spokesperson Peter Stano said, the news agency AFP reported. Earlier this year, the EU had pledged to step up supplies artillery shells to Ukraine as its military was facing a shortfall. The member states agreed on a $2.19 billion (2 billion euros) plan to raid their stockpiles and place joint orders for shells. Under the first stage of the plant which ran between February and May, $1.09 billion (1 billion euros) was earmarked to reimburse EU members roughly half the cost of shells provided from their existing arsenals. The total value of the ordnance provided on Friday was $1.2 billion (1.1 billion euros). The EU funds reimbursed only part of that, suggesting the measure fell short of the target. The new ammunition sent was just a small advance on the number -- 220,000 shells -- announced by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in late May. Meanwhile, under the second part of the plan, the EU is negotiating joint procurement contracts with European manufacturers for 155-mm howitzer shells and missiles. "(The agency) expects framework contracts with industry to be signed in the coming weeks, allowing member states to place orders from then on," the EU said. The EU also said that in total, it has spent nearly $22 billion supplying weaponry of all kinds to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian offensive in February last year. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Ukraine war: EU delivers nearly 224,000 shells to Kyiv as part of ammo plan

Five staffers of the United Nations (UN), who were kidnapped 18 months ago, have been released, the UN said on Friday (August 11). Four of these staffers are from Yemen and one is from Bangladesh.

Five staffers of the United Nations (UN), who were kidnapped 18 months ago, have been released, the UN said on Friday (August 11). Four of these staffers are from Yemen and one is from Bangladesh. UN Secretary-General Guterres welcomed their release. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, the UN's top official in Yemen David Gressly met with the staffers and joined them for a meeting with the head of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council, whose forces helped secure the hostages' release. 'Staffers in very good health, spirits' Speaking to reporters, Gressly said the staffers were in very good health and good spirits, despite everything that they went through. "But they went through a very difficult period of 18 months of isolation," he added. The staffers were kidnapped in February last year by Yemen-based Al Qaeda (AQAP) in the Arabian Peninsula which has used the conflict between a Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-aligned Houthis to enhance its influence. Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis ousted the government from the capital Sanaa in late 2014. The Saudi Arabia-led military coalition intervened in 2015, aiming to restore the government. On Friday, Gressly warned that AQAP was an increasing threat. UN completes removal of oil from decaying tanker In other news from Yemen, the UN said on Friday that it completed the removal of more than 1 million barrels of oil from the decaying Safer tanker off the Red Sea coast, averting a potential environmental disaster. "It is a major moment of having averted a potentially catastrophic disaster," said Achim Steiner, administrator of the UN Development Programme, which coordinated complex efforts to remove the oil from the ship. Salvage crews operated for more than two weeks amid high summer temperatures and strong currents, to offload the oil from the vessel. Steiner said the UN raised more than $120 million for the operation. "It was literally until the last minutes that we looked at this operation as one that had to ensure the highest degree of preparedness for risk mitigation. The best end to the story will be when that oil actually is sold and leaves the region altogether," the administrator added. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Five UN staffers freed 18 months after being kidnapped by Al-Qaeda in Yemen

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