Najib Razak Files Appeal Against Latest 1MDB Corruption Conviction and 15-Year Sentence 
California Drops Lawsuit Over Federal Funding Cuts to High-Speed Rail Project 
Zelenskiy and Trump Meet in Florida as Ukraine Peace Talks Face Major Hurdles 
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Drone Plot Against Putin as Peace Talks Face New Strain 
Bukele Signals Willingness to Extend Power as El Salvador’s Term Limits Are Scrapped 
Kosovo PM Albin Kurti Moves to Form New Government After Election Win 
Lavrov Says Russia Holds Strategic Initiative in Ukraine as Settlement Talks Continue 
Canada Announces $2.5 Billion Economic Aid Package to Support Ukraine’s Financial Stability 
Kosovo Heads to Early Parliamentary Election Amid Prolonged Political Deadlock 
Australia Orders Independent Review After Bondi Mass Shooting, Albanese Resists Royal Commission Calls 
South Korea Prosecutor Alleges Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee Abused Power for Bribes 
Trump Administration Probes Corporate DEI Programs, Raising Questions for Google Stock 
Myanmar Election 2025 Faces Global Scrutiny Amid Civil War and Political Repression 
Kim Jong Un Oversees Strategic Cruise Missile Launch to Reinforce North Korea’s Nuclear Deterrence 
Jazz Ensemble Cancels Kennedy Center New Year’s Eve Shows After Trump Renaming Sparks Backlash 
U.S. Government Agrees to Review Frozen NIH Diversity Research Grants After Legal Challenge 
China Conducts Largest-Ever Live-Fire War Games Around Taiwan Amid Rising Cross-Strait Tensions 
There are growing calls to prosecute Russia and its dictator Vladimir Putin on the international court following the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The UK’s ambassador to the US has stressed that Putin, including his generals, will be held accountable for their crimes.
Speaking on MSNBC’s “The Sunday Show” with host Jonathan Capeheart, the UK’s ambassador to the US, Karen Pierce stressed that Putin will be tried for war crimes on the international court, and the generals that led the siege into Ukraine will also be held accountable for their actions.
Pierce was pressed on why UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has stopped short of saying that Putin committed war crimes. Capeheart noted that US President Joe Biden directly called Putin a “war criminal,” which was echoed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“What the prime minister has said is that what’s happened on the ground in Ukraine may well amount to war crimes,” said Pierce. “And for that reason, we’ve sponsored a decision at the International Criminal Court to launch an investigation into what’s happened on the ground.”
“If I may Jonathan, I do want to stress one point: It’s that it won’t just be President Putin who will be responsible for war crimes if that’s what the investigation shows,” Pierce continued. “It will be every single Russian general involved in Ukraine. They will be personally accountable if war crimes are committed, that’s a matter of law, it’s not just my opinion.”
This comes as Ukraine has rejected the offer by Russia for safe passage for citizens who wish to leave the country in the midst of the ongoing conflict in exchange for surrendering the occupied city of Mariupol. Ukrainian deputy prime minister Irina Vereshchuk sharply rejected the offer, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
“There can be no question of any surrender, laying down of arms,” said Vereshchuk. “We have already informed the Russian side about this.”
Vereshchuk said around 7,000 people were evacuated from Ukrainian cities during the conflict through humanitarian corridors Sunday. More than half of those who evacuated came from Mariupol. Vereshchuk noted that the Ukrainian government planned to send around 50 buses Monday for further evacuations.
