Russian authorities systematically torture Ukrainian POWs, UN says
Geneva — Russian authorities have subjected hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners of war to “widespread and systematic torture” while supervisors in detention facilities aware of that treatment did nothing to stop the abuse, according to a report published by the U.N….
Security Council briefed on progress in UN-AU partnership for peace
Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the African Union, highlighted “encouraging developments” that are fueling optimism. “These include Africa’s resilient people and resourceful women and youth, their stated preference for democratic rule against all odds, the…
UN rights chief adds voice to urgent calls for Middle East de-escalation
The development came as UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned “escalation after escalation” in the Middle East on Tuesday, as a report from his Office underscored the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Since the…
SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: End ‘sickening cycle’ of escalation across the Middle East, Guterres urges
UN humanitarians launched a $426 million appeal for Lebanon on Tuesday to support one million people uprooted by widespread Israeli shelling amid what Israel has described as a “limited, localised and targeted” ground operation into Lebanon, across the UN-patrolled line…
Ukraine says Russian drone attack hurts 2 people in Odesa
Officials in southern Ukraine said Wednesday a Russian drone attack targeting port infrastructure in Odesa injured two truck drivers. The attack was part of a series of aerial attacks that involved 32 drones, the Ukrainian military said. Ukraine’s air defenses…
Australia’s online dating industry agrees to code of conduct to protect users
MELBOURNE, Australia — A code of conduct will be enforced on the online dating industry to better protect Australian users after research found that three-in-four people suffer some form of sexual violence through the platforms, Australia’s government said on Tuesday….
Washington exhibit offers glimpse of ocean’s ‘twilight zone’
A new exhibit in Washington sheds some light on a little-known layer of the sea and the strange creatures that live there. Artechouse art center and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution collaborated on the spectacle, called Twilight Zone: Hidden Wonders of…
NATO’s new chief makes Ukraine support a top priority, says he’ll work with any US president
Brussels — The new head of NATO vowed on Tuesday to help shore up Western support for war-ravaged Ukraine and expressed confidence that he can work with whoever is elected president of the United States, the alliance’s most powerful member,…
Nepal: Hundreds killed as ‘unprecedented’ flash floods strike capital Kathmandu
Many of the deaths have occurred in the capital, Kathmandu, which witnessed the most intense rains in over half a century. Hundreds of houses along with schools and hospitals have been damaged and the southern portion of the city remains…
First Person: Swapping guns for ballpens in the Philippines
A former combatant fighting for the rights of her people on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines has been talking about how she has swapped her combat fatigues for jilbabs [outer garment]and her life in the jungle for a…