UNITED NATIONS, June 22 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called out Russia on Thursday for killing 136 children in Ukraine in 2022, adding its armed forces to a global list of offenders, according to a report to the U.N. Security Council seen by Reuters.

The United Nations also verified that Russian armed forces and affiliated groups maimed 518 children and carried out 480 attacks on schools and hospitals. Russian armed forces also used 91 children as human shields, according to the report.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Authorities in Honduras began to hand over to relatives the hacked, burned corpses of 46 women killed in the worst riot at a women’s prison in recent memory.

Some of the bodies were so badly burned they need genetic testing or dental studies to identify, said Yuri Mora, the spokesman for Honduras’ national police investigation agency.

MOSCOW, June 22. /TASS/: The Moscow City Court on Thursday upheld the decision to extend by three months the arrest of The Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich, who is accused of espionage, a TASS correspondent reports from the courtroom.

"The court considered the appeal from Gershkovich’s defense against the decision to extend his stay in custody and ruled to leave the decision of the court of first instance unchanged and the defendant's appeal unsatisfied," the court said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — China said Thursday it had registered a formal protest over President Joe Biden’s reference to Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a “dictator,” while Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stressed the critical importance of the two rival powers maintaining relations despite their disagreements.

Biden’s remarks at a 2024 reelection fundraiser Tuesday opened a new rift just after Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing that was meant as a step toward stabilizing ties and improving communications with China.

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), June 22 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia is 20th in the World’s Strong Starters Ranking list, based on the Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2023 published by Startup Genome.

The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (MOSTI) said in a statement Thursday that the achievement was thanks to efforts to develop an ecosystem for startups based on the Malaysia Startup Ecosystem Roadmap 2021-2030 (SUPER), led by startup coordinating agency, Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd, and the result of lively funding activities associated to startups.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The president of the United Arab Emirates met with Iran’s visiting foreign minister on Thursday in the latest sign of improving relations between Arab Gulf countries and the Islamic Republic.

TAIPEI, June 22 (Reuters) - A U.S. Coast Guard ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday in a transit that China described as "public hype", after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken having wrapped up a high-profile, widely watched visit to Beijing a day earlier.

The national security cutter Stratton made a "routine" Taiwan Strait transit on Tuesday "through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law", the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said on Thursday.

21 June 2023; MEMO: Israel is reportedly set to support Saudi Arabia's bid to host the Expo 2030, amid efforts to convince the Kingdom to agree to normalise relations with Tel Aviv.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Texas congressman Will Hurd, a onetime CIA officer and fierce critic of Donald Trump, announced Thursday that he’s running for president, hoping to build momentum as a more moderate alternative to the Republican front-runner.

Hurd, 45, served three terms in the House through January 2021, becoming the chamber’s only Black Republican during his final two years in office.

“We need common sense,” said Hurd, who made the announcement on “CBS Mornings,” adding, “I believe the Republican Party can be the party of the future, not the past.”

KARACHI, Pakistan, June 22 (Reuters) - At least 209 Pakistanis were on an overloaded boat that capsized and sank in open seas off Greece last week, according to data shared with Reuters on Thursday by a Pakistani investigative agency.

The figure of 209 is based on information provided by families who came forward to say a relative of theirs had boarded the boat heading from Libya towards Greece and were still missing, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said.

BRUSSELS, June 22. /TASS/: The European Commission (EC) transferred another monthly tranche of 1.5 billion euros to Ukraine on Thursday as part of a program designed for 2023 with a total volume of 18 billion euros, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced on Twitter.

"Today we disburse another €1.5 bn for Ukraine in macro-financial assistance. We help keep Ukraine’s services and infrastructure afloat in its brave fight for freedom," she tweeted.

JERUSALEM, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese automaker Geely on Wednesday officially launched the new version of its electric vehicle model Geometry C in Israel.

Compared to its previous version, which topped electric vehicle sales in Israel in 2022, the new version has a re-designed exterior as well as an upgraded battery. Its range reaches 485 km, up 25 km from the previous version.