00:00Hello, and welcome to another episode of the International News Wrap, your premier destination
00:11for global updates, brought to you exclusively by OneIndia.
00:15In today's segment, we present a diverse array of stories, ranging from President Joe Biden's
00:20imminent signing of the Ukraine aid package to Israel's preparations for civilian evacuation
00:26Join us as we delve into the day's most significant international developments, ensuring you stay
00:32abreast of the latest events unfolding worldwide.
00:38On Wednesday, President Joe Biden will sign a landmark bill into law, allocating billions
00:43of dollars in fresh aid to Ukraine for its ongoing conflict with Russia.
00:48This bipartisan achievement not only serves as a victory for the President as he eyes
00:53re-election, but also provides crucial support to allies relying on Washington's backing
00:59for Kiev.
01:00Biden, a Democrat poised to potentially face off against Republican former President Donald
01:06Trump in the November election, has tirelessly advocated for increased funding for Ukraine
01:10over the past six months.
01:13Despite facing opposition, predominantly from Republicans closely aligned with Trump, bipartisan
01:18consensus ultimately prevailed.
01:21The turning point came when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives unexpectedly shifted
01:27course, greenlighting four bills that included funding not only for Ukraine, but also for
01:32Israel, Taiwan, and other key U.S. partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
01:37Throughout the process, Biden engaged in fervent discussions about Ukraine with House Speaker
01:42Mike Johnson, expressing the urgency of supporting the embattled nation.
01:47Despite facing criticism from some within his own party, Johnson's decisive action garnered
01:51praise, including from Trump himself, who commended Johnson's leadership during a recent
01:57meeting in Florida.
01:58This significant legislative milestone underscores the unwavering commitment of the U.S. to stand
02:03alongside Ukraine in its struggle against Russian aggression.
02:10Israel has procured tens of thousands of tents for Palestinian civilians it intends to evacuate
02:15In the coming weeks, ahead of a promised assault on the city it sees as the last bastion of
02:21harm in the Gaza Strip, Israeli sources said on Wednesday.
02:24Aborting the Egyptian border, Rafa's population has been swollen by more than a million Palestinians
02:29who fled the half-year-old Israeli offensive through the rest of Gaza.
02:34Their fate worries Western powers as well as Cairo, which has ruled out any influx of
02:38refugees into the Egyptian Sinai.
02:41After weeks of talks with the United States about civilian safeguards, Israel's defense
02:46ministry has bought 40,000 tents, each with a capacity for 10 to 12 people, for Palestinians
02:53relocated from Rafa.
02:55Israeli government sources said.
02:57Video circulated online appeared to show rows of square white tents going up in Khan Yunus,
03:02a city some 5 km from Rafa.
03:05Israel's defense ministry declined all comments.
03:08The government sources said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet plans to
03:12meet in the coming two weeks to authorize civilian evacuations, expected to take around
03:17a month, as the first stage of the Rafa sweep.
03:20Netanyahu's office had no immediate comment.
03:23While not discussing specific battle plans, the Israeli military has increasingly signaled
03:29readiness to move on Rafa.
03:34On Wednesday, drones dispatched by Ukraine's SBU security service reportedly carried out
03:39strikes on two oil depots owned by Rosneft in Russia's Smolensk region, as revealed by
03:45a Ukrainian intelligence source.
03:48The source disclosed that the depots stored 26,000 cubic meters of fuel and the attack
03:54resulted in significant fires, prompting the evacuation of personnel.
03:58The SBU continues to effectively dismantle military infrastructure and logistics channels
04:03that supply fuel to the Russian army in Ukraine, the source asserted.
04:07These facilities are and will remain are entirely legitimate targets.
04:11Earlier statements from Russian regional authorities confirmed fires erupting at the site following
04:17the drone assault.
04:18Concurrently, emergency services responded to the incidents, with some residents evacuated
04:22from parts of Lipetsk in Russia's southwest after a drone crashed in an industrial park.
04:28Fortunately, there were no reported casualties in the attack.
04:32According to Vasily Anokhin, governor of the Smolensk region, via a statement on the Telegram
04:37messaging app.
04:39With Russia's invasion of Ukraine now in its third year, Ukraine has increasingly focused
04:45on targeting Russian oil and energy infrastructure using long-range drones.
04:50Despite calls from allies to seize such strikes to mitigate Russian retaliation and global
04:55oil price surges, Kyiv regards oil refineries as legitimate targets.
05:01As of the end of March, Ukrainian drone attacks had reportedly knocked out around 14 percent
05:06of Russia's primary oil refining capacity, according to calculations by plotters.
05:15A Russian court issued a detention order for one of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's deputies
05:20on Wednesday, marking the highest-profile corruption case since President Vladimir Putin
05:26deployed troops into Ukraine in 2022.
05:29Ukrainian Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was apprehended on Tuesday at his workplace by
05:34the Federal Security Service, that is, FSB, on charges of accepting significant bribes.
05:41The Moscow-Basmany District Court ruled that Ivanov be held in custody until June 23.
05:48Footage released by the court service depicted Ivanov, 48, dressed in uniform and standing
05:54in a glass enclosure with a slight frown.
05:57According to the court service, the investigation alleges that Ivanov conspired with third parties
06:02and orchestrated an organized crime scheme to receive substantial property and services
06:08during contract and subcontract work for the Ministry of Defense.
06:13Ivanov, maintaining his innocence, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
06:19State media extensively covered the case, drawing attention to the sudden arrest of
06:23a close associate of Shoigu who was tasked by Putin to oversee the conflict in Ukraine.
06:29This event sparked speculation about internal power struggles within the elite circles and
06:33raised hopes of a public crackdown on the corruption that has long plagued Russia's
06:38armed forces since the Soviet era.
06:40The arrest of Ivanov, often associated with the conspicuous display of wealth that Putin
06:45has sought to discourage during wartime, was met with some celebration by Russian bloggers,
06:50critical of senior military officials' perceived incompetence.
06:54The Kremlin confirmed that Putin and Shoigu were informed of the situation while the Defense
06:58Ministry refrained from commenting.
07:00Additionally, Sergey Borodin, a close friend of Ivanov, was also charged with conspiracy
07:05to accept bribes.
07:09On Tuesday, the U.S. issued a stern warning to Pakistan, cautioning of the potential risk
07:15of sanctions and affirming its commitment to disrupting and taking action against proliferation
07:20networks engaged in business dealings with Iran.
07:24Vedant Patel, the U.S. State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson, highlighted previous sanctions
07:29imposed on suppliers to Pakistan's ballistic missile program, emphasizing the cross-border
07:34strategy of targeting proliferation networks and weapons of mass destruction procurement
07:39activities worldwide.
07:41When questioned about the rationale behind these sanctions, Patel reiterated that they
07:46were imposed due to the entities' involvement in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
07:51and their delivery systems.
07:52Furthermore, Patel advised against entering into business deals with Iran, urging caution
07:57in light of the potential risk of sanctions.
08:00The warning comes in the aftermath of Iranian President Raisi's three-day visit to Pakistan,
08:05during which eight bilateral agreements were signed between the two countries.
08:10Patel hinted at the possibility that these burgeoning relations could be imperiled by
08:14sanctions given Iran's status within the international community.
08:18The discussions during President Raisi's visit, led by Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz
08:22Sharif and attended by President Raisi, underscored a shared commitment to enhancing political,
08:28economic, trade, and cultural ties between Pakistan and Iran, as reported by SAVA.
08:35Thank you for joining us on The International News Wrap.
08:38Stay tuned for more episodes.
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