BOSTON: An original painting of Volodymyr Zelensky signed by the Ukrainian president is being sold at auction, and proceeds from the sale will be used to benefit the nation’s people suffering during its war with Russia.
Bidding on the 40-by-24-inch (101.5-by-61-centimeter) painting by American artist Oleg Jones starts at $50,000, and the goal is to sell it for at least $100,000, Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of auctioneer RR Auction in Boston, said Thursday.
The painting features an image of Zelensky against the background of Ukraine’s blue and yellow flag. Several raised stars in the upper left of the piece form a heart around the gold trident from the nation’s coat of arms.
The acrylic paints are coated in resin sprinkled with glass dust, giving it a sparkling effect.
It is signed, in English, “Zelensky, Glory to Ukraine.” It’s also signed by the artist.
The auction, which concludes April 12, includes photos of the president signing it in his office.
The proceeds of the auction will benefit the Kyiv-based Dmytro Kasyanenko International Charitable Foundation via US-based The Power of A Dream Foundation and will used for the purchase of medical equipment, tools and medicine for the Ukrainian people, RR Auction said.
“The need for funding these agencies is so great that Zelensky took the time to sign this painting amid the incredible stress his country is facing,” Livingston said.
A baseball signed by Zelensky sold at auction in May for $50,000, much of which went to provide humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Boston auction of signed Zelensky painting to help Ukraine
https://arab.news/gk6ba
Boston auction of signed Zelensky painting to help Ukraine
- Bidding on the painting by American artist Oleg Jones starts at $50,000
Philippine city in state of calamity as landfill collapse death toll rises
- 16 people remain missing under piles of waste nearly a week after the incident
- On Monday, the city’s mayor said ‘signs of life’ were still detected under debris
MANILA: Cebu City in the central Philippines has been in a state of calamity since last week’s collapse of a landfill that left at least 20 people dead, authorities said on Wednesday.
A huge mound of garbage at the 15-hectare Binaliw open landfill in Cebu City collapsed suddenly on Jan. 8, burying more than 100 workers and nearby structures underneath.
To release additional funds for emergency response and recovery operations, the Cebu City Council approved on Tuesday a resolution declaring a state of calamity.
After managing to save 18 injured people in the first days of the search, rescuers pulled out the bodies of several victims on Wednesday.
“The number of employees reported missing following the Binaliw landfill incident that occurred on the afternoon of January 8, 2026, has decreased to 16,” the Cebu City Public Information Office stated.
“The reduction in the number of missing individuals follows the recovery of several bodies at the site today, January 14, 2026. With these recoveries, the confirmed death toll has now risen to 20.”
The Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said that with the amount of debris, its responders were facing “difficult site conditions,” but remained on the ground to recover all the missing persons.
The hope of finding survivors was reignited by the announcement of Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival, who said in a press conference on Monday that a team from APEX Mining in Davao brought life-detection equipment that indicated that “there are still signs of life” at the disaster site.
The Cebu City Council announced Friday as a day of mourning for the victims of the Binaliw landslide, which “claimed lives and caused immeasurable grief to the affected families and the community.”
