US Promises $1 Billion in Aid to Ukraine; 17 Civilians Killed in Wednesday Attack
Missiles hit a market Wednesday in Kostiantynivka, a town 12 miles from the front lines in the Donetsk region of Ukraine with an approximate population of 70,000. Russian officials denied targeting civilians while the European Union and United States denounced the attack. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a visit to Kyiv and announced new assistance in the form of weapons systems, defensive weapons, and grant money for purchasing additional weaponry.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Blinken for his support and said that Ukraine’s counteroffensive progress could face challenges in the upcoming winter months.
“We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs, not only to succeed in the counteroffensive but has what it needs for the longterm, to make sure that it has a strong deterrent,” Blinken said. “We’re also determined to continue to work with our partners as they build and rebuild a strong economy, strong democracy.”
$800 million of the aid is aimed at post-war reconstruction, including removing mines, creating law enforcement, and combating corruption.
Mexico’s Supreme Court Legalizes Abortion Nationwide
Expanding on a 2021 ruling that decriminalized abortion in the state of Coahuila, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that federal law criminalizing abortion was unconstitutional. At the time of the ruling, 12 out of 32 states had already decriminalized abortion.
The organization that brought the case to the federal court said the decision could pave a path for access to abortion at federally-funded institutions.
“With this decision of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, federal health institutions in the whole country will have to offer abortion services to women and people of gestational capacity who request it,” the Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida, a nonprofit that provided legal counsel on the case, said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Tens of Thousands Forced to Evacuate Amid Floods in Southeast China
Record-breaking floods in Fujian province have forced at least 114,000 people to evacuate throughout the week. The region has experienced historically high levels of rainfall for four consecutive days, and some areas of Fuian province recorded over one foot of rainfall in 24 hours on Tuesday.
According to China’s national media, the damage may reach 552.1 million yuan ($75 million USD), as 4,195 hectares (10,366 acres) of farmland have been inundated by floodwaters. The government has set aside 200 million yuan ($27 million USD) for provinces hit by typhoons and floods, according to state media.
African Climate Summit Urges Outside Investment in Green Energy
According to Al Jazeera, Kenyan President William Ruto announced a declaration calling for global taxes and reforms to international financial institutions to combat climate change.
The three-day summit brought African business leaders and politicians together to discuss clean energy, conserving natural resources, and how to finance adaptation to increasing climate disasters.
Ruto emphasized that Africa’s resources and industry could be used globally to fight climate change.
“In Africa, we can be a green industrial hub that helps other regions achieve their net zero strategies by 2050,” he said. “Unlocking the renewable energy resources that we have in our continent is not only good for Africa, it is good for the rest of the world.”
Summit attendees also called for wealthy nations to financially support African countries, which have contributed the least to global emissions while suffering the consequences of climate change the most.
