US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a $6 billion military aid package for Ukraine on Friday (Apr 26). Austin said that this is the largest aid package to date, which will allow the US to buy weapons for the Ukrainian military, including Patriot missiles.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a $6 billion military aid package for Ukraine on Friday (Apr 26). Austin said that this is the largest aid package to date, which will allow the US to buy weapons for the Ukrainian military, including Patriot missiles. How will the aid package strengthen Ukraine's military? “This is the largest security assistance package that we’ve committed to date. It will include critical interceptors for Ukraine’s patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, more counter drone systems and support equipment, significant amounts of artillery ammunition, and air to ground munitions and maintenance and sustainment support,” the US Defense Secretary said during a press conference. The announcement came after a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group that was held on Friday morning. Also read: US secretly sent long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine Earlier on Wednesday (Apr 24), the Defense Department announced a $1 billion package for Ukraine, and President Biden signed a national security supplemental into law. The aid package announced on Wednesday included weapons that can be immediately used on the battlefield such as stinger air defense munitions, additional ammunition for high-mobility artillery rocket systems, 155-millimeter artillery ammunition, TOW and Javelin anti-tank munitions, etc. How will the delivery of military equipment be coordinated? The military equipment under the $6 billion package might take some time to arrive as it falls under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), in which instead of giving straight from inventory, equipment is purchased. Austin assured that the Pentagon is “going to move as fast as we can to get them the capability as fast as industry can produce.” Charles Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was present with Austin, said, “They’ve had to ration conserve munitions over time. And so with this package and the follow-on factors because of the supplemental, gives them a bit more flexibility to be able to operate and use that capability effectively against the Russian threat.”

US announces 'largest to date' $6 billion military aid package for Ukraine

Watch the top headlines of the hour: - $6 bn new US military package for Ukraine - US: University panel slams crackdowns - China interfering in US polls: Blinken - Ready for debate with Trump: Biden - Studying Israel's truce plan: Hamas - 6.1 magnitude quake off Taiwan coast

$6 bn new US military package for Ukraine | US: University panel slams crackdowns

With less than two months to go for elections, the political parties in South Africa have begun campaigning in full swing. This time, however, the ruling party African National Congress (ANC) is under heavy pressure.

South Africa Elections: Jacob Zuma's comeback overshadows ANC's campaign

An Egyptian delegation is in Israel to broker a ceasefire deal between Tel Aviv and Hamas in Gaza. The envoys warned that Israeli ground offensive in Gaza's Rafah City will have catastrophic consequences for regional stability.

Israel war: Egyptian delegation in Israel to broker truce between Israel-Hamas

Amid the rising Indo-Pacific tensions, Indonesia and Beijing have agreed to strengthen cooperation and bilateral relations. However, things were completely different between the two nations just a few years ago. Relations between Indonesia and China were frozen for the longest time. But now China is also a major contributor of foreign direct investment to Indonesia. Why and how did the dynamics change between the two?

South China Sea Tensions: Why is Indonesia warming up to China

The Hamas massacre and hostage-taking horror in Israel on the 7th of October last year has its tremors in Nepal. The kin of one of the Nepali youth taken hostage has been holding meetings raising a voice in Nepal for the return of the hostages trapped there. WION's Saloni Murarka spoke to the family and has this report on their nightmare.

October 7 Nightmare: Ripples in Nepal

Iran President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Pakistan showcased an overcoming of cross-border tensions that have dogged Iran-Pakistan relations over the last few months. The two signed as many as 8 agreements in areas ranging from security to economy and trade. But there can be no missing an undercurrent of tension between the two sides. Raisi was silent on the Kashmir issue raised by Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif. And the long overdue gas pipeline deal between the two festers due to Pakistan's fear of US sanctions.

isi visits Pakistan: Can broken bridges repair?

The president of the United States Joe Biden says he's ready to debate Donald Trump ahead of their likely presidential rematch this November. Watch in for more details!

US Presidential Debate 2024: Biden agrees to debate Trump after months of evasion

Watch the top headlines of the hour: - US: University panel slams crackdowns - China interfering in US polls: Blinken - Ready for debate with Trump: Biden - Studying Israel's truce plan: Hamas - 6.1 magnitude quake off Taiwan coast

US: University panel slams crackdowns | China interfering in US polls: Blinken

The U.S. and the Philippines have launched their largest combat exercises, Balikatan drills in the South China Sea. For the first time, the drills will extend beyond 12 nautical miles off the Philippines coast and into the waters claimed by China. The military exercises come amid escalating maritime tensions between the Philippines and China. As Balikatan drills began, dozens of Chinese vessels were detected in the contested waters in the South China Sea, So, what is the maritime dispute between Manila and Beijing? We deep dive and tell you all about China's aggression in the region on WION Wideangle

Chinese vessels detected amid US-Philippines drills

A sweeping victory for President Mohamed Muizzu's party in the Maldives Parliamentary elections comes with powers to assert his pro-China agenda. Muizzu made 'India Out' his poll plank while pledging to elevate ties with Beijing. His overwhelming majority could strain ties with India further, where historically India has maintained significant influence.

What Muizzu's win means for India

The Polish President, expressed willingness to host American nuclear assets in Poland which could bring NATO and Belarus based Russian nuclear assets pointing right at each other. Russia slammed Polish President’s intentions even as Russia itself works to nuclearise its military district, right across NATO states. What is Russia’s LENINGRAD military district? Is a nuclear war imminent in Europe? In an earlier episode of Game Plan dated Jan 27, 2024 months before the current developments, we told you that Europe could be the centre for the next nuclear war – and now we’re seeing those assessments increasingly becoming reality. Watch the complete report here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMz6ve0HiU4 For all future warzone analysis and military tactics, tune in to Game Plan with Shivan Chanana only on WION.

Russia to deploy nukes at new military district across NATO states | Nuclear war imminent?

Amid massive University student protests across the US against Israel's war in Gaza Colombia University's president is in a renewed Wrangle. The University's oversight panel criticized the clamping down of pro Palestinian protests on campus. Watch in for more details!

Gaza protests in US universities: Columbia University extends deadline for protesters to leave

The climb of Mount Everest should have started at least by the first week of April, but this year there has been a long delay as the route leading to the world's tallest peak wasn't ready for at least two weeks. Extremely dangerous conditions at Khumbu Icefall forced rope fixers to carve out a different route. Here is a report of how this season looks like for all the climbers.

Khumbu Icefall delays Everest climbing season

Internet users in South Asia West Asia and Europe face significant interruptions due to the damage to undersea Fiber Optic Cables connecting Singapore to Pakistan and Europe. Watch in for more details!

Fibre optic cable connecting Singapore to Pakistan & Europe cut, internet users face problems

The Lithuanian and the Polish forces held massive military exercises the week-long drills called the Brave Griffin 24. The exercises are being held along the Suwalki gap. Watch in for more details!

Russia-Ukraine war | Polish & Lithuanian forces hold joint military drills amid Ukraine war

Amid reports of back channel talks going on between Tibetan government in exile and the Chinese authorities Beijing has now said it will only talk with the representatives of The Dalai Lama and not the officials of the Tibet government in exile. Watch in for more details!

China says ready to discuss Dalai Lama's personal future

Watch the top headlines of the hour: - China interfering in US polls: Blinken - Ready for debate with Trump: Biden - Studying Israel's truce plan: Hamas - 6.1 magnitude quake off Taiwan coast

China interfering in US polls: Blinken | Ready for debate with Trump: Biden

Damaged sea cables caused widespread internet outages in Pakistan on Friday (Apr 27), according to ARY News. The fibre optic cable that connects Singapore to Pakistan and Europe was discovered broken at multiple spots.

Damaged sea cables caused widespread internet outages in Pakistan on Friday (Apr 27), according to ARY News. The fibre optic cable that connects Singapore to Pakistan and Europe was discovered broken at multiple spots. The fiber optic cable connecting Singapore to Pakistan and Europe was destroyed near Indonesia at various locations, impacting internet service in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. According to people familiar with the issue, five breaks in the fibre optic underwater cable severely affected internet services, particularly those routed from the east. The restoration operation is expected to take roughly one month to fully patch the fibre optic cable to its original condition. However, both PTCL and Transworld are having eastbound traffic issues. With fewer than 10% of internet traffic coming from the east, Pakistani consumers have experienced difficulty accessing the internet, particularly in the evenings. Also read: Hopeless Pakistani man offers his children for sale To lessen the impact, PTCL has diverted internet traffic from the eastern direction to alternate routes. Nevertheless, until the fiber optic line is completely fixed, customers may still have difficulties. What is fiber optic cable? A fiber optic cable is a network cable made up of strands of glass fibers enclosed in an insulated casing. They're intended for long-distance, high-performance data networking and communications. Also read: Cross-border heart transplant: Indian donor saves Pakistani teenager's life Fiber optic lines have more bandwidth than conventional cables and can carry data over greater distances. Fiber optic cables power much of the world's internet, cable television, and telephone services.

Damaged sea cables trigger major internet disruption in Pakistan

Fierce tornadoes and strong winds ripped through the US Midwest on Friday forcing hundreds of people to take refuge in the storm shelters. Iowa, Omaha and Nebraska are badly hit after the storm plowed through the Suburban areas leaving a trail of Destruction there. Watch in for more details!

Tornadoes in US Midwest cause severe damage, storms plow through suburban Omaha, Nebraska

The Israeli military has massed dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles along its border with the southern Gaza strip in what appears to be a preparation for an invasion of the border city of Rafah. The tanks and armoured vehicles are stationed near Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing next to Rafah. American Diplomat Anthony Blinken is planning to travel to Israel on Tuesday after returning from his trip to China. Reports suggest that Blinken will travel to Israel to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials. Watch in for more details!

Israel-Hamas war: Blinken plans to visit Israel | Will US stop Israel's Rafah offensive?

Heavy rains swept through the homes of residents in Kenya. At least 13 people have died, nearly 3,000 households displaced.

Kenya Floods: 44 people killed, thousands displaced by raging floods

West African country Burkina Faso suspended radio networks, BBC and Voice of America (VOA) for their coverage of a report that accused the Burkinabe army of executing civilians.

West African country Burkina Faso suspended radio networks, BBC and Voice of America (VOA) for their coverage of a report that accused the Burkinabe army of executing civilians. The report was published by the international organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday (Apr 25). According to the report, military forces of Burkina Faso “summarily executed” 223 people in two villages in February. There were at least 56 children among the executed civilians. Superior Council for Communication of the country said that “the programmes of these two international radio networks broadcasting from Ouagadougou have been suspended for a period of two weeks.” Why did Burkina Faso suspend BBC and VOA? They cited BBC Africa and the VOA airing as well as publishing the report "accusing the Burkina army of abuses against the civilian population" on their digital platforms as the reason behind the suspension. They said that BBC and VOA broadcasts had “disinformation likely to discredit the Burkinabe army." “The [Superior Council of Communications] found the content of the article to be full of peremptory and tendentious statements against the Burkinabe army, without any tangible evidence, especially as the same article calls for an independent inquiry,” Burkina Faso’s media regulator said. Also read: '170 people executed' in attacks on Burkina villages: Prosecutor According to HRW, these "mass killings, among the worst army abuse in Burkina Faso since 2015, appear to be part of a widespread military campaign against civilians". Soldiers killed at least 44 people, including 20 children, in Nondin village, and 179 people, including 36 children, in nearby Soro village, according to its report. As per the Superior Council of Communications, HRW's report contains "peremptory and tendentious" claims against the army that are likely to cause public disorder. Not the first time This is not the first time the country has censored media. In 2023, Burkina Faso's government suspended France 24 broadcasts for airing a 19-second clip featuring Abou Obeida Youssef al-Annabi, the self-proclaimed leader of the Islamist armed group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The country, now under military rule, is led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, who seized power in a coup in September 2022, following another coup that toppled President Roch Marc Kabore eight months prior.

Burkina Faso suspends BBC, Voice of America for army mass killings coverage

Watch the top headlines of the hour: - Iran to release MSC Aries crew - IDF kills two Palestinians in West Bank - Israel's Rafah onslaught inevitable? - Tornado horrors in US midwest - Russia pounds Ukraine, alert sounded

Iran to release MSC Aries crew | Russia pounds Ukraine, alert resounded

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