US House of Representatives approve $61bn military aid package for Ukraine

The US House of Representatives, with support from both Democrats and Republicans, approved a $95 billion bill to help Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan gain security. It includes $26.4 billion to Israel for military support, with $9.1 billion of that aimed at humanitarian aid for Gaza. Also, $8.1 billion is set aside for supporting allies in the Asia-Pacific region, like Taiwan, to "counter communist China". Even though some Republican lawmakers strongly disagreed, the bill still passed. Now, it's up to the Democratic-led Senate, which already approved a similar bill over two months ago.

Also in the programme: The world's biggest election has begun in India with almost a billion people eligible to vote over the next six weeks, and a new version of ChatGPT is in the works as Malick Mnela collaborates with Microsoft to create ChiweGPT, AI that will use Malawi's national language Chichewa.

Joining presenter Julian Worricker are Hannah Ajala Rahman, a journalist, speaker and award-winning podcast host - also the founder of We Are Black Journos, a community platform celebrating and connecting Black journalists and Dr Manu Lekunze, a lecturer in international relations at the University of Aberdeen who studies the security of states in the continually changing domestic, regional, and international environments.

(Picture: US House of Representatives votes to pass foreign aid packages to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, Washington, USA - 20 Apr 2024. Credit:
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)