WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The House Armed Services Committee released the following testimony by Katherine Thompson, performing the duties of assistant secretary of Defense for international security affairs, from an April 8, 2025, hearing entitled "U.S. Military Posture and National Security Challenges in Europe": * * * Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Smith and distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you on our defense policy in the U.S. European  more PR

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations released the following joint testimony by Colby Jenkins, performing the duties of assistant secretary of Defense for special operations and low intensity conflict, and Gen. Bryan P. Fenton, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, from an April 9, 2025, hearing entitled "U.S. Special Operations Forces and Command - Challenges and Resource Priorities for Fiscal Year 2026": * * * Chairma more PR

ROME, Italy, April 16 -- The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization posted the following news: * * * Boost for the global fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing Rome - Efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing have received a boost from the People's Republic of China, the world's largest capture fisheries producer, which has become the 108th State to join the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, U more PR

WASHINGTON, April 16 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis posted the following news: * * * Breaking Russia's Triple Chokehold After three years and a million casualties, Russia has discovered something that even the ancient Romans knew: combining different types of weapons creates a synergy more lethal than the sum of its parts. Russia has devised a successful approach for penetrating Ukrainian defenses. The good news? In the early months of 2025, Ukraine may have discovered a respons more PR

LONDON, England, April 17 -- The British Ministry of Defence issued the following news: * * * British soldiers take down drone swarm in groundbreaking use of radio wave weapon British soldiers have successfully tracked, targeted and defeated swarms of drones in the latest trial of a new directed energy weapon developed in the UK. * UK-made, invisible radio wave weapon knocks out drone swarms for the first time. * Weapon has potential to help protect against drone threats as nature of warfar more PR

WASHINGTON, April 16 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Statement On Ed Martin's Undisclosed Appearances On Russian State Media April 16, 2025 SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding reports that Ed Martin, President Donald Trump's pick to be U.S. Attorney for D.C., appeared on RT and Sputnik--networks funded and directe more PR

BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 16 -- The European Commission issued the following readout on April 15, 2025, by President Ursula von der Leyen after her phone call with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong: * * * Today, President von der Leyen held a warm phone call with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The President praised the excellent cooperation between the European Union and Singapore. The country, she said, is a like-minded partner for the EU, from its support for Ukraine to our shared effo more PR

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 16 -- The United Nations International Labour Organization posted the following news: * * * High employment, low wages: The economic reality of Ukrainian refugees Geneva (ILO News) - A new inter-agency report sheds light on the persistent economic challenges faced by Ukrainian refugees in ten neighbouring countries. Despite an improvement in their overall economic situation since last year, a staggering 40 per cent of these refugees still live below the poverty line more PR

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana, April 16 -- Indiana University Media School issued the following news: * * * Graduate students explore media usage and perception research funded by Kern Scholarships The Media School has supported four graduate student research projects this year through the Kern Scholarship for Innovation in Journalism. The Kern Scholarship provides up to $5,000 in financial support to Media School students for projects encouraging research and experimentation in new journalism concep more PR

VIENNA, Austria, April 16 -- The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe posted the following news release: * * * Moldova and Ukraine: Strengthening energy resilience in the face of extreme weather with OSCE workshop in Chisinau As extreme weather events become more frequent and climate conditions continue to evolve, the energy sectors face increasing risks. From heatwaves straining power grids to storms damaging infrastructure and climate variability disrupting natural resources more PR

VIENNA, Austria, April 16 -- The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe posted the following news release: * * * OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Christophe Kamp visits Ukraine, reiterates support for legislative and institutional framework on national minority issues OSCE High Commissioner Christophe Kamp visited Ukraine between 6 and 12 April, where he met with a wide range of interlocutors, including representatives of the government, local authorities, national  more PR

SANTA MONICA, California, April 17 (TNSres) -- Rand issued the following commentary on April 15, 2025: * * * Averting Unconstrained Nuclear Risks with Russia By William Courtney The New START Treaty, a nuclear arms reduction agreement, will expire next February, ending limits on U.S. and Russian long-range nuclear forces. Negotiations on a new treaty have not begun and may take years. In the interim, nuclear risks might be contained if the United States and Russia do not undercut New START l more PR

PARIS, France, April 15 [Category: Media] -- Reporters Without Borders issued the following news: * * * Russia mocks justice as four journalists sentenced to five and a half years in prison On 15 April, four Russian journalists were sentenced to five years and six months in prison for "extremism" for covering the activities of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a sham trial in Moscow. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns this unjust decision, handed down by a judiciary subservient to the more PR

BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 16 [Category: Media] -- The International Federation of Journalists posted the following news release: * * * Russia: Four journalists sentenced to jail on charges of "extremism" 16 April 2025 # On 15 April, a Russian court sentenced four journalists, Antonina Kravtsova (Favorskaya), Konstantin Gabov, Sergei Karelin and Artem Kriger, to five and a half years in a penal colony. Arrested in 2024, they were found guilty of "participating in an extremist group" for th more PR

VIENNA, Austria, April 17 -- The International Press Institute issued the following news: * * * Russia: IPI condemns journalists' convictions for links to Navalny Court rules they are guilty of "extremism" The IPI global network today condemns the five and half year prison sentences handed to Russian journalists Antonina Favorskaya, Artem Kriger, Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin. The four journalists were arrested in 2024, in the months after the death in jail of Russian opposition leade more PR

BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 16 -- The European Investment Bank posted the following news release: * * * The EIB Group at IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings: stepping up partnerships for win-win outcomes and collective security * EIB Group President Nadia Calvino will lead an EIB Group delegation to meet global partners and fellow Multilateral Development Banks in Washington DC * Boosting strategic investment to reinforce peace, prosperity and partnerships is at the heart of the EIB Group agenda  more PR

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The House Armed Services Committee released the following testimony by Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, commander of the U.S. European Command, from an April 8, 2025, hearing entitled "U.S. Military Posture and National Security Challenges in Europe": * * * Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Smith, and distinguished members of the House Armed Services Committee, as the Commander, U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) it is my distinct honor to testify before you again on behalf of ou more PR

WASHINGTON, April 16 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12200) on April 15, 2025, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The U.S. Marine Corps Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR) Background On March 23, 2020, the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) announced a major force design initiative planned to occur over 10 years originally referred to as "Force Design 2030" which is now known as "Force Design." Under Force  more PR

BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 16 -- The European Investment Bank posted the following news release: * * * Ukraine: Odesa Oblast improves emergency services with safety centre expansion, thanks to EU bank support * A new building has opened at the Citizen Safety Centre in Avangard, Odesa Oblast, expanding emergency services for over 36 000 residents in the settlement and neighbouring communities. * Equipped to handle wartime challenges, the new facility will strengthen rescue operations, allow  more PR

WASHINGTON, April 16 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12150) on March 12, 2025, by Andrew S. Bowen, Russian and European affairs analyst: * * * Ukrainian Military Performance and Outlook Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) have been increasingly challenged to defend against Russian advances, given ongoing disadvantages in personnel and a less developed defense industry more PR

PLYMOUTH, England, April 16 -- The University of Plymouth issued the following news: * * * Sharing opportunities in worldwide dementia care The National and International Perspectives of Dementia conference was led by the University of Plymouth There are over 10 million new cases of dementia each year worldwide, implying one new case every 3.2 seconds. Now the University of Plymouth has welcomed representatives from around the world to showcase projects supporting people with the condition  more PR

VIENNA, Austria, April 16 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency posted the following news release: * * * Update 286 - IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine Frequent air raid alarms, the regular sound of explosions nearby and the presence of drones are continuing to highlight the dangers facing Ukraine's main nuclear sites during the military conflict, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today. "The nuclear safety more PR