Amidst Europe’s ongoing conflict, a glimmer of hope emerged as five Ukrainian and Russian children, previously separated from their families, were joyfully reunited, according to an announcement by former U.S. First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday morning.

“While the roles of diplomacy and peacebuilding are crucial, they pale in comparison to our ability to place children’s welfare above international conflicts,” Melania Trump, originally from Slovenia, stated through the White House. “Each reunion reaffirms that compassion, dignity, and the essence of family can transcend even the darkest situations: war. My envoy and I remain dedicated to collaborating with Russian and Ukrainian authorities to ensure children are returned safely to their rightful families and communities.”

Thursday’s announcement marks the fifth instance where children impacted by Europe’s most substantial conflict since the end of World War II have been able to embrace their families once again. This effort follows the former first lady’s revelation in October of her established “open channel” with Russian President Vladimir Putin to tackle this humanitarian issue.

To date, at least 27 children have been successfully reunited with their families through these initiatives, with a significant majority—22 of them—hailing from Ukrainian backgrounds.

Since Moscow’s large-scale invasion in February 2022, thousands of Ukrainian children have been taken from their homes, orphanages, and boarding schools in the occupied eastern regions of Ukraine, often relocated to Russia.

Some youths were put on a twisted Russian adoption database where they could be sorted by age, eye color, and number of siblings, in what non-governmental humanitarian groups called “digital child trafficking masked as bureaucracy.”

Those not taken in by Russian families have been sent to more than 200 facilities to undergo pro-Kremlin “re-education” and military training, according to a report last year by the Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab.

The United Nations said in March of this year that it had verified the abduction of more than 1,200 kids across five regions of Ukraine. However, the Kyiv government has claimed the true number is as high as 20,000.

The global body’s Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said that while Russian authorities claimed the removals were for safety reasons, the fact that 80% of the children had not been returned after four years of war indicated otherwise.

Of those who had come back, the Commission highlighted complaints of starvation and lack of medical care — while in at least one case, an abducted adolescent had taken their own life.

“The children who come back are subdued mentally — they’re broken,” Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska told The Post in August of last year. “… Only after they return do they start coming back out of their shells.”

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin in connection with war crimes related to the abduction of Ukrainian kids.

Revelations have surfaced today in the chilling case of a British woman discovered dead in Athens, whose last messages portrayed a desire for solitude. These texts, sent from her phone, emerged after her body was found stashed inside a suitcase in a derelict building.

Greek authorities suspect that someone deliberately used Elisabeth Jane Ross’s phone to paint a deceptive picture of her whereabouts, aiming to mislead investigators and stall their pursuit.

The lifeless body of 38-year-old Ross, who hailed from Scotland, was tragically uncovered by a homeless individual in the Kypseli neighborhood on July 18.

However, detectives indicate that from as early as July 15, mysterious text messages were dispatched to her inner circle, impersonating her, days before the grim discovery.

One particularly unsettling message, sent posthumously from Ross’s phone to a friend in Greece, read: “I need some time – I’m going to a Greek island,” as exclusively uncovered by the Daily Mail.

The text was sent to a Greek male friend she has known ‘for years’ and with whom she had been staying days before her body was found.

Texts sent to her family claimed that she ‘needed some time to herself’ and that she ‘wanted to be alone for a while’.

Investigators say the phone, which remains missing, was active in the Athens area until around 24 hours ago, when Ms Ross was formally identified. 

It was then ‘mysteriously’ switched off just as her death made headlines around the world.

Her father, a lawyer from Edinburgh, told officers he had been receiving messages from July 15 to 29. 

A police source told Greek media: ‘The suitcase did not belong to the victim, as she did not have any large luggage with her. This means that it is possible that genetic material or fingerprints will be found in the suitcase that will help the authorities find the perpetrator or perpetrators.’

Officers are poring over CCTV footage from around the building where Ms Ross was found. 

Due to the weight of the suitcase containing her body, they believe the killers are likely to have been staying nearby.

Ms Ross had been staying with Greek friends for around two weeks in the centre of Athens until she left on July 15, according to reports.

The alarm was raised around 1pm on July 18 after a homeless man notified the police that he had spotted a suitcase and something coming out of it, which ‘looked like a human limb’. There was also a foul smell.

The body was later identified as Ms Ross, who flew from the United States to Athens via Edinburgh – not Cyprus as previously reported – on June 29, the Daily Mail understands. 

She had travelled out to stay with her Greek male friend in Keratsini near the Port of Piraeus, her father said. 

Police have interviewed three Greek friends, including the man she stayed with as well as a friend from Edinburgh.

The mother of the local she was staying with is from Edinburgh and is flying out to Athens today to support the family. She has told police that her son reported Ms Ross missing on July 15.

Ms Ross was last seen just before the alleged murder on July 15, and around the time that forensic scientists believe the crime took place.

It has also been claimed that the British woman’s phone was being used up until the point she was identified by media. 

One Greek officer said: ‘The phone was being used. Text messages were even sent obviously with a view to making people believe she was still alive. 

‘We are treating the building as a crime scene.’ 

Authorities are waiting for the result of toxicological tests saying they are likely to uncover how Ms Ross died. 

But the tests will take ‘weeks’ because of the advanced state of decay of her body, the Daily Mail understands.

The initial examination of the body showed no obvious injuries or signs of struggle, while no identification was found on her. 

Greek authorities then took fingerprints but found no match in the national database. They then discovered they were registered in American databases.

According to police, the victim was around 5ft 4in with reddish hair tied in a bun, wearing black shorts and a T-shirt. 

Her shorts bore the name of a French university, prompting Interpol to be alerted.

Her identity was then confirmed by the Interpol office in America, which informed the Hellenic Police that the body belongs to a British woman with the initials ER, born in February 1988. 

Greek news outlets released photos of Ms Ross on Wednesday.

Police have requested passenger information from the airline she travelled with to determine if she was with anyone, and are checking local accommodation registries for reservations under her name. 

Officers estimated that her death occurred between five and seven days before the body was found.

One Greek police officer told The Sun that authorities were shocked at the discovery.

He said: ‘To find a foreign national dead in a suitcase here in the heart of Athens is a first. In the history of Greek-British relations, it is unprecedented.’

Greek authorities will be working closely with the Cyprus Police on this investigation, while a post-mortem examination is expected to be carried out to determine the cause of death. 

The British Embassy in Greece and the woman’s father have been notified of her death. 

Police wish to speak to her father to gather information about her recent activities.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘Our thoughts are with Elisabeth’s family during this difficult time. We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities.’

A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the death of a Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece. Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland.’

In Tucson, Arizona, the mystery surrounding Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance intensifies as a substantial seven-figure reward remains untouched almost half a year after she was allegedly abducted from her Catalina Foothills home. For seasoned detectives, this unclaimed bounty suggests the potential involvement of a small, closely-knit group.

“It tells me they’re possibly bound by something more powerful than mere dollars—perhaps family ties, mutual fear, or the risk of exposure,” observed Jason Pack, a retired FBI negotiator and supervisory agent actively monitoring the case. “Such bonds tend to endure—until, of course, they don’t.”

Typically, when more individuals become aware of a crime, the likelihood that someone will step forward to claim the hefty reward increases. Alarmingly, even with more than $1.2 million on the line, no one has come forward with information regarding Guthrie’s suspected abduction 179 days since it occurred.

“Rewards of that magnitude typically unravel even the tightest of groups,” Pack remarked to News Media. “Yet in this case, it hasn’t.”

Rather than a dead end, Pack sees the untouched reward as another clue.

“In my experience, a meaningful share of cases like this break sideways,” he said. “Somebody gets arrested for something unrelated and starts talking. A relationship ends badly. Somebody’s conscience finally outruns their fear. Six months is a long time to hold something this heavy, and the people around whoever did this have had six months to notice the change in them.”

Pack said it looks like the abductor or abductors tried to plan the crime — and did it poorly. At least one suspect is believed to have cased out the house. He wore a ski mask, long sleeves and gloves, and covered the lens of her Nest doorbell camera — which was missing when police arrived the next day.

“When it went wrong, and I believe it went wrong fast, they had no plan for that either,” he said. “Everything since reads to me like improvising around a failure, not professionals executing a plan.”

Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, is dependent on heart medication and has a pacemaker. She has limited mobility — and a close-knit family.

“She had dinner with her family on a Saturday night, went home, and never made it to church the next morning,” Pack said. “That’s who we’re talking about. Not a case number. A mother who was supposed to be at church.”

While the suspects made critical mistakes, he said, that doesn’t mean the investigation has stalled.

Pack also shared a direct message for Guthrie’s neighbors and residents of the surrounding communities:

“Go back and check your own cameras from that time period. Doorbell, security, dashcam,” he said. “A lot of systems archive further back than people realize. If you drove through the area that night, pull your dashcam files.”

If you saw something but don’t have video, it’s still worth speaking out, he said.

“And think about the people in your own life. Somebody who left town. Somebody whose behavior turned in February and never turned back,” he said. “You don’t have to be sure. That’s not your job. Sorting it out is [the investigators’ job].”

In May, a source with knowledge of the case told News Media that the FBI was bringing new technology into the investigation.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, whose department is the lead agency, said in an interview this week that he still believes the case will be resolved.

“We have so much DNA to sort through,” he said in an interview aired on “Today.” “We have so much, in terms of video evidence, to look at.”

And they’ve spent months learning things from the DNA and the video and other forensics that the public hasn’t seen, Pack noted.

“I’ve watched cases break in month eight, month 14, month 30,” said Pack, whose FBI career lasted 21 years, 11 of them as a negotiator. “Most every one of those families had stopped believing it was ever coming.”

Anyone with information on the case is asked to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI. An anonymous reward can also be obtained by calling 520-88-CRIME with information that leads to an arrest in the case.

An unguarded moment showed Dr. Anthony Fauci releasing his frustrations after a challenging day on Capitol Hill. He was heard venting to his wife, Christine Grady, about being on the receiving end of some loud accusations.

The couple, who have shared 41 years of marriage, were seen power-walking through their upscale Wesley Heights neighborhood in Washington, D.C., where their home is valued at $2.4 million.

Earlier in the day, Fauci found himself in the hot seat during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on the COVID-19 pandemic. The immunologist stood his ground by citing his Fifth Amendment rights over 100 times, declining to answer any questions regarding the crisis.

Clad in a Georgetown University “IronMed 5K” T-shirt, Fauci was juggling his phone and clearly burdened by the events of the day, mentioning how he was subjected to verbal attacks. His expression of frustration included an expletive as he took his evening walk following a tough exchange with Republican senators.

A native of Brooklyn, Fauci was summoned to testify after being subpoenaed by Senator Rand Paul. Paul has accused him of concealing the true origins of COVID-19 and providing misleading information to the public about the virus.

After the four-hour-long hearing, Paul (R-Ky.) announced that his committee would begin contempt of Congress proceedings against Fauci over his refusal to answer even the most basic questions from Republicans. 

Fauci, 85, served as the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for 38 years before his December 2022 retirement. 

He retired as the nation’s highest-paid government employee, earning $481,000 in his last year on the job, and with a reported net-worth of more than $11 million between him and his wife.   

In 2023, Fauci joined the faculty of Georgetown University as a distinguished professor at the Infectious Diseases Division in its School of Medicine. 

His wife, who served as the chief bioethicist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was reportedly fired by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., shortly after the start of President Trump’s second term. 

In March, Grady joined her husband at Georgetown University, where she serves as the senior advisor on bioethics and neuroethics and a professor of neuroscience.

Megyn Kelly has leveled accusations against Dr. Anthony Fauci, claiming he concealed his own adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine. This allegation comes in spite of Fauci’s strong public advocacy for vaccination during the pandemic.

On Wednesday afternoon, Kelly released a new episode of The Megyn Kelly Show, coinciding with Fauci’s appearance on Capitol Hill where he faced intense scrutiny. Fauci, formerly the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), was a focal point of discussion.

During her show, Kelly shared a clip featuring U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in conversation with Fox News host Laura Ingraham. In this segment, Kennedy referred to Fauci’s alleged admission of experiencing a pulmonary infarction following the Moderna vaccine, as revealed in Fauci’s recently leaked diary.

Fauci maintained a private journal spanning over 1,000 pages from 2019 through 2022. The contents of this journal were made public over the weekend by Republican U.S. Senator Dr. Rand Paul, triggering swift controversy.

Discussing the incident, Kelly relayed to her guests, Rich Lowry and Charles C.W. Cooke from the conservative magazine National Review, that Fauci discovered he had a pulmonary infarction after receiving a double dose of the Moderna vaccine in June 2021.

A pulmonary infarction is a serious and deadly medical condition that sees a portion of lung tissue die because it loses its blood and oxygen supply. It is commonly caused by a blocked blood vessel in the lung. 

‘So there is a very real possibility that Anthony Fauci knew he suffered a pulmonary infarction after his double dose of Moderna, and still told that guy his claims should be dismissed, it’s perfectly safe,’ Kelly said, referring to his heated defense over the safety of COVID vaccines in Washington DC in June 2021.

Kelly went on to discuss why so many Americans are ‘angry’ with the doctor, and that she now believes she wasn’t fully informed before getting the Pfizer COVID vaccine herself. 

‘This is why there’s not just PTSD, there’s anger. There’s anger seeing this guy celebrated by Julia Roberts, Chris Cuomo, and Brian Stelter, and all the others at MSNBC. 

‘There’s anger at those people, too, for enabling this guy, who we believe actively hurt the country,’ Kelly added. 

Fauci’s testimony on Capitol Hill earlier today sparked national headlines as he invoked his Fifth Amendment more than 100 times to avoid answering questions about his handling of the pandemic. 

Republican Bernie Moreno called Fauci a ‘total disgrace’ during the explosive hearing on the virus’s origins. 

The Ohio senator said he felt compelled to run for office six years ago when he saw a story of a mom being arrested while watching a football game outside with her family, due to breaking guidelines issued by governments based on Fauci’s advice.

‘Who the f**k do you think you were for doing that? It was a total disgrace to this country, and if my Democrat colleagues are standing there defending you, I hope the voters of the United States of America have watched clips of every one of them building a guy who was more interested in being a celebrity than doing his job,’ he exclaimed.

Earlier in his remarks, Moreno asked members of the audience who believed that they were negatively impacted by their skepticism toward COVID precautions to stand. Nearly all of the general public present stood up behind Fauci.

Fauci’s diaries revealed that he was delighted in his interactions with celebrities as America went through the death throes of the early pandemic.

Fauci, who became former President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor, appeared to bask in the fame he received during the 2020 lockdowns, his diary entries detailed. 

In one entry, he cited a front-page Washington Post article and other magazine profiles about him. 

‘Press still hot and heavy about me. Multiple stories per day directly or indirectly involving me,’ he said in April 2020, Forbes reported. 

During the hearing, Fauci blasted the Republican Party for their ‘unhinged obsession’ with him. 

In his opening statement, Fauci said: ‘Given Senator Paul’s obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution, his repeated slanderous comments about me, and recently his publicly releasing my unredacted personal diary aimed at embarrassing and intimidating me. 

‘The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up in his words ‘behind bars,’ Fauci continued.

‘Any reasonable person who has followed his unhinged obsession with me would readily come to the same conclusion,’ he added.

He invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination in the opening round. He then continued to do so 111 separate times when interrogated by lawmakers on the committee.

‘On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution,’ Fauci told Senator Paul numerous times in the opening round of questions.

His attorney, David Schertler, was physically removed by security in an explosive moment when he attempted to speak on behalf of Fauci.

‘I didn’t invite you here to testify,’ exclaimed Paul before setting the guards on him to drag him out.

CHICAGO (WLS) — In the quiet early hours, chaos erupted on Chicago’s South Side as shattered glass and wreckage stained the aftermath of break-ins at two businesses along 75th Street.

Among those struck was Brown Sugar Bakery, nestled in the 300 block of East 75th Street. This local staple, cherished by the community for more than two decades, has gained recognition, even drawing a visit from Vice President Kamala Harris in 2021.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

“Experiencing something like this leaves you feeling devastated and invaded,” expressed owner Stephanie Hart, reflecting on the incident.

Surveillance footage captured the crime in progress. Recorded from a camera positioned across the street, the video reveals four individuals pulling up in a white sedan just before dawn. The clip shows them smashing through the bakery’s front window and fleeing with an empty cash register.

“It’s pointless,” Hart stated, her voice tinged with frustration. “No money is kept in the registers overnight, so all they did was cause us financial harm by destroying them. Thankfully, they didn’t manage to grab any baked goods. Otherwise, we’d have been forced to discard everything.”

After the break-in at Brown Sugar Bakery, the thieves smashed another window at the neighboring business, Stylez Caribbean Roots Bar. The business sells herbs and other wellness products.

Although the burglars entered the store, the owner said they left without taking anything. However, expensive equipment was damaged during the break-in.

“They’re really hurting people, and they’re hurting families. They’re hurting business owners, and they’re not getting really… they’re not really accomplishing nothing,” said William Roland, owner of Stylez Caribbean Roots Bar.

Surveillance video shows the suspects driving away. Seconds later, police arrived at the scene.

For Hart and other longtime small business owners, such burglaries impact the entire neighborhood.

“The money that comes in my bakery comes from my community, and it churns out into the community,” Hart said. “The people that work here, they’re your cousins, y’all.”

Business owners and community members along 75th Street are planning to meet to discuss strategies in response to the break-ins.

INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER Track crime and safety in your neighborhood

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is pursuing civil penalties exceeding $470,000 against a New York-based immigration lawyer. The attorney has been accused of filing fraudulent documents in support of asylum claims for numerous clients, allegedly submitting over 100 documents with strikingly similar persecution stories.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that Homeland Security Investigations recently issued a notice of intent to fine attorney Suraj Raj Singh. Known for his nationwide practice, Singh primarily assists Indian nationals in seeking asylum through immigration courts.

Accusations against Singh by ICE include the preparation and filing of 118 fraudulent documents across 54 immigration cases.

The agency aims to impose the statutorily allowed maximum fine, totaling $470,584.

According to DHS, asylum declarations submitted in support of Singh’s clients’ applications were “identical or nearly identical in language and substance,” containing the same or substantially similar factual narratives and supporting details describing alleged persecution.

“Fraudulent asylum claims threaten the safety of the American people, undermine our immigration system and delay the removal of dangerous criminal illegal aliens,” DHS General Counsel James Percival said. 

“ICE is seeking a fine of more than $470,000 from attorney Suraj Raj Singh. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, we will hold attorneys like this accountable and put an end to the practice of defrauding and abusing our immigration system.”

A notice of intent to fine is a proposed civil enforcement action that allows the recipient an opportunity to respond before any penalty becomes final.

DHS ISSUES $84B IN FINES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS UNDER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The action is the latest step in the Trump administration’s effort to crack down on alleged asylum fraud. In May, Percival directed DHS attorneys to pursue additional enforcement actions targeting fraudulent asylum claims.

DHS said the Singh case marks the second time the department has sought civil penalties against an immigration attorney under 8 U.S.C. § 1324c(d), which authorizes fines for immigration-related document fraud.

Last month, ICE issued five notices of intent to fine against attorney Vinod Doddamani, seeking a combined $255,232 in civil penalties over alleged immigration document fraud.

News Media has reached out to Singh for comment.