U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is visiting Kyiv on Friday to announce a new package of support, including an increase in military funding, a statement from his office said. Sunak is expected to announce an increase in military funding for Ukraine for the next financial year to 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion), the statement said.

Amalija Knavs, the mother of former first lady Melania Trump, has died. Trump announced the death late Tuesday without disclosing the cause. Melania Trump sponsored her parents' immigration to the United States, and they took the oath of office to become citizens at a New York City courthouse in 2018. The Slovenian immigrants, a former car dealer and textile factory worker, had been living in the U.S. as permanent residents.

Spain's government says face masks will be mandatory in hospitals and healthcare centers starting Wednesday due to a surge in respiratory illnesses. Health Minister Monica Garcia said late Monday that it was a simple and necessary measure. Spain's hospitals have come under immense pressure in recent weeks following a spike in cases of flu, COVID-19 and other bronchial problems. Garcia's ministry decided to impose the measure after failing to reach an agreement with regional health authorities, many of whom argued that mask use should be recommended but not obligatory. Six regions have alre

Earth shattered global annual heat records last year and it's flirting with the warming threshold that nations wanted to stay within to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. That's according to Copernicus, the European climate agency, which reported Tuesday that 2023 was 1.48 degrees Celsius (2.66 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times. That's just a whisker below the 1.5-degree threshold nations agreed to try to stay within at the Paris climate talks in 2015. And Copernicus said this January is on track to be so warm that the world will go past that 1.5-degree threshold f

Gabriel Attal was named Tuesday as France’s youngest-ever prime minister, as President Emmanuel Macron seeks a fresh start for the rest of his term amid growing political pressure from the far right. Macron’s office announced the appointment in a statement. Attal, 34, rose to prominence as the government spokesman and education minister. He is France’s first openly gay prime minister. His predecessor Elisabeth Borne resigned Monday following recent political turmoil over animmigrationlaw that strengthens the government’s ability to deport foreigners. Macron, a 46-year-old centrist whos

Pakistan's Supreme Court has scrapped a lifetime ban on politicians with convictions from contesting elections, paving the way for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to run for the fourth time. The lifetime ban on convicted politicians was imposed in 2018.Under a new court order passed on Monday, convicted politicians would be barred from running only for five years. Sharif's party said he will seek a fourth term after returning in October from a four-year self-exile in London to avoid serving prison sentences on corruption charges. They were overturned on appeal after his return. Sh

The president of the Maldives has suspended three of his deputy ministers for posting derogatory comments against India and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi. President Mohamed Muizzu suspended the three until further notice for their posts on X, formerly Twitter, which were in response to Modi's posts promoting the pristine beaches of India's Lakshadweep archipelago for Indian travelers. Last year, Indians made up the largest number of tourists visiting the Maldives, which is famous for its luxury island resorts and white sandy beaches. India is also a strategic ally, with military personne

A law enforcement official says the suspect in a shooting at an Iowa high school shooting has died. Police in Perry, Iowa, say multiple people were shot at the city's high school, on students' first day back in classes after their annual winter break. A spokesperson said two gunshot victims were taken by ambulance to a hospital in the state capital of Des Moines, about 40 miles southeast of Perry. In Perry, Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante says an active shooter was reported at Perry High School before school started on Thursday and officers responded about seven minutes later. The shooting

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war under a deal sponsored by the United Arab Emirates. Ukrainian authorities say that 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned home. Russia's Defense Ministry says that 248 Russian servicemen have been freed from Ukrainian captivity. The ministry says that the deal was made possible thanks to mediatory efforts by the United Arab Emirates. The massive prisoner exchange follows other such deals earlier in the war, which is nearing the two-year mark.