From atrocities committed in Ukraine, to the 2022 FIFA World Cup draw in Qatar, to the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, DPA International presents its Pictures of the Week.

From atrocities committed in Ukraine, to the 2022 FIFA World Cup draw in Qatar, to the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, DPA International presents its Pictures of the Week.

By Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk

LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) -At least 39 people were killed and 87 wounded in a missile strike on Friday on a railway station in east Ukraine that was packed with women, children and elderly trying to flee fighting, Ukrainian authorities said.

Officials said many of the wounded had lost limbs and were being operated on after the strike in the city of Kramatorsk, which President Volodymr Zelenskiy said was a deliberate attack on civilians using a Tochka U short-range ballistic missile.

“Lacking the strength and courage to stand up to us on the battlefield, they are cynically destroying the civilian population,” Zelenskiy said in a statement. “This is an evil that has no limits. And if it is not punished, it will never stop.”

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, on Twitter, and British defence minister Ben Wallace, during a visit to Romania, both denounced the attack.

White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield said there was “mounting evidence that Russian forces are committing war crimes in Ukraine” and the U.S. embassy in Ukraine denounced it as “one more atrocity committed by Russia in Ukraine.”

Zelenskiy later said in a video address to Finland’s parliament that no Ukrainian troops had been at the station at the time of the attack.

Reuters could not verify what happened at the station.

The Russian defence ministry was quoted by RIA news agency as saying the missile said to have struck the station was used only by Ukraine’s military and that Russia’s armed forces did not have any targets assigned in Kramatorsk on Friday.

Donetsk region governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said Russian forces had fired a Tochka missile containing cluster munitions, but did not share what evidence he had of this. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the allegation.

Russia has previously denied using cluster munitions in Ukraine.

Banned by the United Nations under a 2008 international convention that Russia is not a party to, cluster munitions are made up of a hollow shell that explodes in mid-air, dispersing dozens or even hundreds of smaller “bomblets” over a wide area.

4,000 AT THE STATION, MAYOR SAYS

Kramatorsk Mayor Oleksander Honcharenko estimated that about 4,000 people were at the station at the time of the attack. At least four of those killed were children, he said.

“Some people have lost a leg, others an arm. They are now receiving medical assistance. The hospitals are carrying out about 40 operations simultaneously,” the mayor said in an online briefing.

MSF said a service of east-to-west medical evacuations of Ukrainian patients by train set up this month was now under threat.

“It is a big question whether we will be able to go back to evacuate more people,” the medical charity’s emergency coordinator, Christopher Stokes, said.

Governor Kyrylenko published a photograph online showing several bodies on the ground beside piles of suitcases and other luggage. At least one man lay in a pool of blood. Armed police wearing flak jackets walked beside the corpses.

Another photo showed rescue services tackling what appeared to be a fire, with a pall of grey smoke rising into the air.

“The ‘Rashists’ (‘Russian fascists’) knew very well where they were aiming and what they wanted: they wanted to sow panic and fear, they wanted to take as many civilians as possible,” he wrote in an online post.

Reuters could not immediately verify the photos.

CROWDED STATION

“They (Russian forces) wanted to hit the station,” Mayor Honcharenko said, a view shared by presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych.

“It must be understood that such strikes are preceded by a thorough reconnaissance of the target, at least by drones, gunners on the ground – it’s too expensive a missile and too difficult and risky to organise such strikes,” Arestovych said.

“They (Russian forces) could clearly see that they were striking civilians early in the morning, that there were thousands of people trying to evacuate at the station at that time – families, children, the elderly.”

Three trains carrying evacuees were blocked in the same region of Ukraine on Thursday after an air strike on the line, according to the head of Ukrainian Railways.

Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have been regrouping for a new offensive, and that Moscow plans to seize as much territory as it can in the eastern part of Ukraine known as Donbas bordering Russia.

Local authorities in some areas have been urging civilians to leave while it is still possible, and relatively safe, to do so.

Russia denies targeting civilians in what it calls its “special military operation” aimed at demilitarizing and “denazifying” Ukraine. The Kremlin’s position is rejected by Ukraine and the West as a pretext for an unprovoked invasion.

(Additional reporting by Max Hunder and Emma Farge in Geneva, writing by Timothy Heritage and Alessandra Prentice, editing by Mark Heinrich and John Stonestreet)

By Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk

LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) -At least 39 people were killed and 87 wounded in a missile strike on Friday on a railway station in east Ukraine that was packed with women, children and elderly trying to flee fighting, Ukrainian authorities said.

Officials said many of the wounded had lost limbs and were being operated on after the strike in the city of Kramatorsk, which President Volodymr Zelenskiy said was a deliberate attack on civilians using a Tochka U short-range ballistic missile.

“Lacking the strength and courage to stand up to us on the battlefield, they are cynically destroying the civilian population,” Zelenskiy said in a statement. “This is an evil that has no limits. And if it is not punished, it will never stop.”

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, on Twitter, and British defence minister Ben Wallace, during a visit to Romania, both denounced the attack.

White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield said there was “mounting evidence that Russian forces are committing war crimes in Ukraine” and the U.S. embassy in Ukraine denounced it as “one more atrocity committed by Russia in Ukraine.”

Zelenskiy later said in a video address to Finland’s parliament that no Ukrainian troops had been at the station at the time of the attack.

Reuters could not verify what happened at the station.

The Russian defence ministry was quoted by RIA news agency as saying the missile said to have struck the station was used only by Ukraine’s military and that Russia’s armed forces did not have any targets assigned in Kramatorsk on Friday.

Donetsk region governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said Russian forces had fired a Tochka missile containing cluster munitions, but did not share what evidence he had of this. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the allegation.

Russia has previously denied using cluster munitions in Ukraine.

Banned by the United Nations under a 2008 international convention that Russia is not a party to, cluster munitions are made up of a hollow shell that explodes in mid-air, dispersing dozens or even hundreds of smaller “bomblets” over a wide area.

4,000 AT THE STATION, MAYOR SAYS

Kramatorsk Mayor Oleksander Honcharenko estimated that about 4,000 people were at the station at the time of the attack. At least four of those killed were children, he said.

“Some people have lost a leg, others an arm. They are now receiving medical assistance. The hospitals are carrying out about 40 operations simultaneously,” the mayor said in an online briefing.

MSF said a service of east-to-west medical evacuations of Ukrainian patients by train set up this month was now under threat.

“It is a big question whether we will be able to go back to evacuate more people,” the medical charity’s emergency coordinator, Christopher Stokes, said.

Governor Kyrylenko published a photograph online showing several bodies on the ground beside piles of suitcases and other luggage. At least one man lay in a pool of blood. Armed police wearing flak jackets walked beside the corpses.

Another photo showed rescue services tackling what appeared to be a fire, with a pall of grey smoke rising into the air.

“The ‘Rashists’ (‘Russian fascists’) knew very well where they were aiming and what they wanted: they wanted to sow panic and fear, they wanted to take as many civilians as possible,” he wrote in an online post.

Reuters could not immediately verify the photos.

CROWDED STATION

“They (Russian forces) wanted to hit the station,” Mayor Honcharenko said, a view shared by presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych.

“It must be understood that such strikes are preceded by a thorough reconnaissance of the target, at least by drones, gunners on the ground – it’s too expensive a missile and too difficult and risky to organise such strikes,” Arestovych said.

“They (Russian forces) could clearly see that they were striking civilians early in the morning, that there were thousands of people trying to evacuate at the station at that time – families, children, the elderly.”

Three trains carrying evacuees were blocked in the same region of Ukraine on Thursday after an air strike on the line, according to the head of Ukrainian Railways.

Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have been regrouping for a new offensive, and that Moscow plans to seize as much territory as it can in the eastern part of Ukraine known as Donbas bordering Russia.

Local authorities in some areas have been urging civilians to leave while it is still possible, and relatively safe, to do so.

Russia denies targeting civilians in what it calls its “special military operation” aimed at demilitarizing and “denazifying” Ukraine. The Kremlin’s position is rejected by Ukraine and the West as a pretext for an unprovoked invasion.

(Additional reporting by Max Hunder and Emma Farge in Geneva, writing by Timothy Heritage and Alessandra Prentice, editing by Mark Heinrich and John Stonestreet)

By Maria Caspani

(Reuters) – Alabama lawmakers passed a bill on Thursday that would criminalize gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth, with a threat of 10 years in prison for medical providers.

The legislation, passed 66-28 by the state’s House of Representatives on the last day of the legislative session, is the latest in a flurry of measures in Republican-led states dealing with transgender youth.

The American Civil Liberties Union called it the first bill of its kind to make healthcare for transgender youth a felony and said it would challenge the bill in court if Republican Governor Kay Ivey signed it into law.

The bill http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/ALISON/SearchableInstruments/2022RS/PrintFiles/SB184-eng.pdf would make it a felony punishable with up to 10 years in prison to provide medical care including hormone treatment, puberty blockers and gender reassignment surgery to minors.

Democrats in the minority tried to fight the bill in part by arguing it contradicted Republican principles on the role of government.

“This is not small government; this is not a conservative bill,” Democratic Representative Neil Rafferty told the chamber.

But Republican Representative Wes Allen likened the initiative to laws that prevent minors from getting tattoos or buying nicotine products.

“We make decisions in this body all the time that are to protect children from making decisions that could permanently harm them,” Allen said.

Ivey has not said whether she would sign the bill, but last year she signed one banning transgender athletes from school sports. Ivey’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The bill would also compel school personnel to disclose to the parent or legal guardian that a “minor’s perception of his or her gender or sex is inconsistent with the minor’s sex.”

Last week, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed a bill banning irreversible gender reassignment surgery for minors.

Mainstream medical and mental health professionals say gender-affirming care saves lives by reducing the risk of depression and suicide. Gender-reassignment surgery for people under 18 is extremely rare and would take place only after years of treatment in cases where the patient’s wishes are unwavering, according to medical experts.

The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly opposed the bill and urged Ivey to veto it.

“This legislation targets vulnerable young people and puts them at great risk of physical and mental harm,” Mark Del Monte, the academy’s chief executive, said in a statement. “Criminalizing evidence-based, medically necessary services is dangerous.”

The Alabama Senate has also passed a bill that would require students in public schools to use bathrooms or changing rooms that match the gender on their original birth certificates. An amendment was attached to the bill, which now has to go back to the House for a vote, prohibiting classroom discussion on sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grades.

Transgender rights have emerged as one of the issues at the forefront in the culture wars ahead of the November mid-term congressional elections. Lawmakers have introduced hundreds of bills across state legislatures, the majority of them dealing with trans youth.

Many Republicans and conservative activists promote the laws as safeguards for children and parental rights. Opponents, including Democrats and LGBTQ+ organizations, say the legislation is harmful, unnecessary and unfairly targeting vulnerable and underrepresented communities.

(Reporting by Maria Caspani; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Bradley Perrett)

Everyone wants a piece of the King of Pop.

It has been over 12 years since Michael Jackson had passed away, and articles of clothing from his estate are still being valued at astronomical amounts.

According to recent legal documents obtained by The Blast, the late pop star’s estate currently lists Jackson’s one-of-a-kind outfit used in the filming of the Bad music video as worth $271,875.

The black leathered, multi-belt, and buckle laded fit had been hanging in Michael’s closet since the ’80s but is now considered one of the most sought-after pieces of Jackson memorabilia out there.

The MJ Estate and its executors spent over a decade following the pop star’s death cleaning up the father of three’s financiers and eventually got it to a place where it earns hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year.

It’s currently unclear whether or not the estate is holding on to the piece or if it is displayed in some other location as there are multiple Jackson museum exhibits and collectors around the world.

This isn’t the first of the King of Pop’s many iconic outfits to be valued at high amounts. The red and black jeans and jacket he wore in the Thriller music video fetched $1.8 million during an auction held in recent years.

The jacket was worn during Michael’s first solo tour, even selling for over a quarter-million to a Texas businessman with many believing the $298k price tag to be a bit too conservative.

The entirety of Jackson’s estate is valued at over $2 billion since his tragic death.

Following MJ’s death, executors of his estate set up his finances to continue providing for his three children, Paris, Prince, and Bigi aka “Blanket”, as well as his mother Katherine.

“Michael Jackson provided the sole financial support for his children and was Mrs. Jackson’s primary source of support. The Executors have endeavored to continue to meet the financial needs of Mrs. Jackson and the children. The Executors have done so through a family allowance for Mrs. Jackson and the children as well as various other means,” the document stating the handling of Michael’s belongings reads.

It continues, “Mrs. Jackson resided in the Estate’s real property on Hayvenhurst Avenue in Encino, California for more than thirty years. At the time of Michael Jackson’s death, the mortgage on Hayvenhurst was in default. The Executors paid the mortgage in full. The Executors made and continue to make from time to time necessary repairs and improvements to Hayvenhurst to address maintenance and other issues. The Executors have continued to provide for the maintenance of Hayvenhurst, including estate management, security, and staff.”

Vladimir Putin’s Russian invasion of Ukraine is moving into disturbing territory as Russian troops have allegedly been ordered to slaughter entire villages of civilians.

A furious commander allegedly screamed “kill them all” after his own soldiers warned the military leader that they had innocent villagers in their sight.

Ukrainian spies claim to have hacked a call during the battle of Mariupol, which led to 150,000 people trapped by a Russian siege.

At least 5,000 innocent people are thought to have been killed in the relentless bombardment of Russian troops firing at the neighboring nation.

In the alleged call — which has yet to be verified — a Russian soldier tells his commander that he can see two people wearing civilian clothes.

Their commander allegedly yelled at the soldier to “Take them all out! Kill them all!” The soldier then replied “Understood.” The commander allegedly asked, “What are you waiting for?” before being told, “it is a village of civilians”. The Russian chief was then heard yelling to “Shoot the civilian cars.”

The recent claim emerged on the heels of Ukrainian troops being accused of killing Russian prisoners of war.

A video posted online appears to show four Russian paratroopers lying on a road in pools of blood with one man being getting shot by a Ukrainian soldier.

The validity of this video is also up in the air as the BBC’s team suggests that the video was filmed before March 29th, the date it was allegedly filmed.

In the latest reports from the war front, Russian forces are currently marching from the north at Izyum, the east in Donbas, and are poised to advance from the south. Women, children and the elderly have been urged to flee from Dnipro as it had been given similar warnings for civilians to “flee or face death” in the frontline regions of the war-torn nation.

Western officials warned that Russia is focusing on the Donbas region, which had been partly controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.

Russia was recently suspended from the UN Human Rights Council as 93 of the 193 members voted in favor of the U.S.-led proposal with only 24 against and 58 abstentions. It was only the second-ever suspension of a country since the international organization’s inception.

Russia has been hard-pressed to find any support from the developed nations.

House Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene reported Jimmy Kimmel to the Capitol police over a joke about Will Smith during Wednesday night’s episode of his late-night show.

The Republican from Georgia tweeted a clip from Kimmel’s show where, during the opening monologue, he brought up Greene’s comments on the recent Supreme Court vote.

In the short clip, the comedian said: “This woman, “Klan mom” is especially upset with the three Republican senators who said they’ll vote yes on Ketanji Brown Jackson, who’s nominated for the Supreme Court. She tweeted, ‘Murkowski, Collins, and Romney are pro-pedophile. They just voted for KBJ.'”

He then went on to joke, “Wow, where is Will Smith when you really need him?”

The joke is in reference to Will slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars last week.

Greene said, “ABC, this threat of violence against me by Jimmy Kimmel has been filed with the Capitol Police.”

Kimmel retweeted Greene’s post writing “Officer? I would like to report a joke.”

Many have been calling out Greene for her blatant “hypocrisy.” Many on Twitter argued Kimmel didn’t even make an actual threat while others called the 47-year-old politician a “Karen.”

One individual not impressed commented, “weird how fast the free speech brigade shapeshifts into a giant snowdrift the moment anyone says something they don’t like.”

The Capitol Police have yet to comment on the matter.

Sharkboy and Lavagirl actress Taylor Dooley, who portrayed Lavagirl alongside costar Taylor Lautner in the 2005 film, is taking a firm stance against Disney by protesting outside of their Burbank headquarters.

The We Can Be Heroes star took to Instagram Stories with a statement on Wednesday, reading, “Disney has grossly underestimated the power of the parents. What’s going on with Disney & their agenda is so sad & disgusting. As a parent, it’s our job to protect our children. In Jesus’ mighty name, this is where we take back the family. God has called all of us to stand up for such a time as this!!”

Dooley is supporting a movement started by Hold the Line founder Sean Feucht, who has spoken out in protest of what many critics call the corporation’s “woke” agenda.

Disney has faced backlash in recent weeks after CEO Bob Chapek denounced the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida, prohibiting teachers from addressing gender identity and sexual orientation to kids in kindergarten through third grade.

Debates have also started over Disney World and Disneyland deciding to ban the use of “gender greetings” within their parks. For instance, the greeting “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls” was removed from Magic Kingdom’s fireworks show last year.

Dooley posted a supportive “YES” while reposting one of Feucht’s messages, reading, “The sexualization & indoctrination of 4-year-old children SHOULD BE a line in the sand for every sane person. You don’t wanna be on the wrong side of this issue.”

She followed up with another statement alongside a selfie before the rally, which read, “Let’s protect our children. Let’s protect this next generation. In Jesus’ mighty name, it’s time to stand up for what is right … it’s time to take back the family.”

Feucht stopped by for an interview on Fox & Friends Wednesday and shared his thoughts leading up to the gathering.

“Most of the employees… they’re good,” Feucht said. “They’re Christians, they love America, and they just want to create safe content for children, and they see that their corporations being hijacked by a bunch of woke… crazy people that are trying to indoctrinate kids with this crazy sexualization.”

“Disney has entertained our kids for decades,” Feucht added. “We’ve loved it … but they crossed a line in the sand when they began to enable those who want to fight to sexualize our kids.”