In the news today: After hosting Zelenskyy and speaking with Putin, Trump expresses optimism about peace; the U.S. slashes humanitarian aid funding, warning U.N. agencies to "adapt, shrink or die"; and the powerful winter storm bringing blizzard conditions and dangerous wind chills. Also, pictures of a very messy Spanish festival with a playful egg and flour fight. |
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President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands at the start of a joint news conference following a meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, Sunday, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) |
Trump says Ukraine and Russia are 'closer than ever' to peace after talks with Zelenskyy |
President Donald Trump on Sunday insisted Ukraine and Russia are "closer than ever before" to a peace deal as he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Florida resort, but he acknowledged the negotiations are complex and could still break down. Read more. |
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US pledges $2B for UN humanitarian aid as Trump slashes funding |
The United States on Monday announced a $2 billion pledge for U.N. humanitarian aid as President Donald Trump's administration continues to slash U.S. foreign assistance and warns United Nations agencies to "adapt, shrink or die" in a time of new financial realities. Read more. |
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The money is a small fraction of what the U.S. has contributed in the past but reflects what the administration believes is a generous amount that will maintain the United States' status as the world's largest humanitarian donor. The pledge creates an umbrella fund from which money will be doled out to individual agencies and priorities, a key part of U.S. demands for drastic changes across the world body.
The $2 billion is only a sliver of traditional U.S. humanitarian funding for U.N.-backed programs, which has run as high as $17 billion annually in recent years, according to U.N. data. Critics say the Western aid cutbacks have been shortsighted, driven millions toward hunger, displacement or disease, and harmed U.S. soft power around the world.
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Winter storm brings blizzard conditions and dangerous wind chills |
A potent winter storm threatened blizzard-like conditions, treacherous travel and power outages in parts of the Upper Midwest as other areas of the country braced Monday for plunging temperatures, strong winds and a mix of snow, ice and rain. Read more. |
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"Part of the storm system is getting heavy snow, other parts of the storm along the cold front are getting higher winds and much colder temperatures as the front passes," said Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service office in College Park, Maryland. "They're all related to each other — different parts of the country will be receiving different effects from this storm."
In the South, meteorologists warned severe thunderstorms are likely to signal the arrival of a sharp cold front — bringing a sudden drop in temperatures and strong north winds that will abruptly end days of record warmth throughout that region.
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Revellers take part in the Els Enfarinats festival, a battle using flour, eggs and firecrackers, in the town of Ibi near Alicante, Spain, Sunday. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz) |
Photos of 'Els Farinats', a Spanish street battle festival with flour, eggs and firecrackers
A group of men known symbolically as "Els Enfarinats", or the "the floured ones", take control of the town of Ibi. Dressed in old military-style clothes, they stage a mock coup d'état. The center of the 200-year-old festival is the "battle" using flour, eggs, and firecrackers, turning the streets into a white and sticky battlefield. |
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