griff jenkins. jacqui: i m jacqui hinrich. they re battling brutal summer heat and steve has the latest for us, hey, steve. 104 degrees yesterday, it s supposed to be 100 all week and that hasn t slowed down the stream of mar grants crossing illegally. we ve seen small groups here in the morning and several pregnant women making that crossing. in recent days, large groups as well, sometimes 300 strong crossing the river together. many of the towns along the border region, overwhelmed by the numbers and it s been the recent policy of text s governor abbott to bus some migrants to northern cities. that s drawn the outrage of a number of mayors, including the mayor of washington d.c. and new york city. not only the federal government, but we need some of those states that have been giving people one-way tickets, we need them to understand that, this must be a partnership in this country, new york is going to do its share, but we have been overburdened shelter system now.
As of the end of 2023, the cost of post-war reconstruction in Ukraine increased by US$75 billion to US$486 billion. Source: the results of the updated Rapid Damage and Recovery Needs Assessment (RDNA3).
Japan will pledge $106 million to support Ukraine’s reconstruction effort, including demining and rebuilding infrastructure, Kyodo News reported, citing its unnamed sources, on Feb. 11.
Four months into the Israel-Hamas war, Qatar and Egypt are mediating a renewed negotiations process to bring about an extended pause to the conflict, which could be used as the basis for a permanent ceasefire. More than 27,000 Palestinians, over 1,400 Israelis, and at least 136 UNRWA aid workers have been killed to date, while more than 130 Israelis remain in captivity.
The Ukrainian government has joined forces with banks BlackRock and JPMorgan Chase to launch a reconstruction bank, and already gathered $500 million in committed capital, Reuters reported on Jan. 17.