CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP [file picture]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded US first lady Melania Trump a state honour for her role in helping to organise a humanitarian evacuation from a frontline town last week, according to a decree published on Wednesday.
The presidential decree, dated November 2, cited her "significant personal contribution" to humanitarian support for Ukraine and her work to help Ukrainian children, including those deported or forcibly moved from Russian-occupied territory.
The award - the Order of Princess Olga, 1st class - honours women who have made exceptional contributions in spheres including science, education, culture and charitable work.
Ukrainian officials have said Melania Trump played a pivotal role in organising the six-day ceasefire to evacuate civilians from the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky, which concluded on Sunday.
It was the longest local pause in fighting since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Nearly 800 people were evacuated, Melania Trump said.
A wave of bomb threats were issued to passenger flights around Europe on Friday for the third time this week, as Spain's foreign minister said the continent appeared to be facing "hybrid aggression and a form of psychological warfare".
John D. 'Jay' Rockefeller IV, the progeny of one of America's most famous and wealthiest families who during three decades in the US Senate sought expanded healthcare for the poor, died aged 89 on Friday at his home in Washington.
US Vice President JD Vance distanced himself from President Donald Trump's war on Iran on Wednesday, blaming it for Republicans' election losses that handed Democrats control of both chambers of Congress.
A Malaysian court has issued an order allowing the transfer to house arrest of jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak, his lawyer said on Friday, after his party announced it had paid a fine under the terms of a royal pardon.