US accuses Russia of war crime by forcibly deporting Ukrainians
United NationsReuters The United States accused Moscow of committing a war crime on Wednesday by forcibly deporting Ukrainians to Russia and said it has information that Russian officials are overseeing so-called filtration operations. “These operations aim to identify individuals Russia deems insufficiently compliant or compatible to its control,” US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda […]
Resume aid to Taliban-run Afghanistan, Red Cross urges
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The Red Cross on Monday appealed to states and donors to set aside their political objections to the Taliban and resume aid flows to Afghanistan’s state institutions to ease an “unbearable” humanitarian situation there. The hardline Islamist Taliban marked a year in power on Monday with small scale celebrations as the country struggles […]
Russia, Ukraine trade blame for dozens of deaths in Donetsk prison destruction
Odesa/Kyiv/Ukraine Reuters Dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war appeared to have been killed when a prison building was destroyed in a missile strike or explosion, with Moscow and Kyiv accusing each other of responsibility on Friday. The deaths, some of which were confirmed by Reuters journalists at the prison where the men were held in […]
Russia bombards and US imposes sanctions as Ukraine urges decisive help
Lviv, Ukraine/Dublin, IrelandReuters Russian forces bombarded cities in Ukraine as the United States imposed more sanctions on Wednesday after civilian killings widely condemned as war crimes and Ukraine’s President urged a decisive Western response amid divisions in Europe. Russia’s 42-day-long invasion has forced more than four million people to flee abroad, killed or injured thousands, […]
Red Cross heads again for Mariupol as Russia shifts Ukraine focus
Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine Reuters A Red Cross convoy travelling to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol will make another attempt to evacuate civilians from the besieged port on Saturday as Russian forces looked to be regrouping for new attacks in the south-east. Mariupol, encircled since the early days of Russia’s five-week-old invasion, has been Moscow’s main target […]
Colombia’s violence causes more displacement, explosives’ victims – ICRC
Bogota, ColombiaReuters Surging violence in Colombia caused the number of people internally displaced, forced to restrict their movements and injured or killed by explosives to hit the highest in five years in 2021, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Wednesday. The South American country’s internal armed conflict has burned for almost six […]
Charities call for Australians to donate to flood appeals as furore erupts over Federal Government’s $A4 billion emergency fund
Sydney, Australia The Salvation Army is hoping to raise $A10 million for emergency relief as devastating floods impact south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales that have claimed more than a dozen lives. Flood records have been smashed since the low pressure system hit last week, with some areas receiving 80 per cent of their annual […]
UN, Red Cross call for protecting civilians, vital structures in Ukraine
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Civilians and critical infrastructure such as water and power systems in Ukraine must be protected from attacks in line with the rules of war, United Nations and Red Cross officials said on Thursday as aid agencies struggled to assess damage from Russia’s attack. Ukrainian forces fought Russian invaders around nearly all of the […]
Tonga goes into lockdown; COVID cases not at international aid port – official
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Two COVID-19 cases in wharf workers in tsunami-hit Tonga were at a different wharf to that used by foreign naval ships delivering aid, a Tongan official said, as the previously virus-free nation prepares to go into lockdown on Wednesday to stop infections. There have been fears an influx of international ships and planes […]
UN chief tells Security Council: Afghanistan “hanging by thread”
United NationsReuters Afghanistan is “hanging by a thread,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Wednesday, calling for countries to authorize all transactions needed to carry out humanitarian activities in the Taliban-ruled state. He also pushed for a suspension of any rules or conditions constricting “lifesaving” aid operations as millions in the […]