Kremlin calls talk of long-range missiles in Ukraine ‘dangerous escalation’
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday statements by NATO members this week regarding the possible use of long-range weapons systems in Ukraine represent a “dangerous escalation.” During a joint news conference Thursday with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Ukrainian President Volodymyr…
Groups try save Africa’s only penguin species
Experts warn that the African penguin could be extinct in the wild by 2035. That’s why two environmental groups are taking legal action against the South African government to help save the species. Reporter Vicky Stark in Cape Town, South…
Poll: 60% of US adults support protection of access to in vitro fertilization
WASHINGTON — Relatively few Americans fully endorse the idea that a fertilized egg should have the same rights as a pregnant woman. But a significant share say it describes their views at least somewhat well, according to a new poll…
EU: X’s blue checks are deceptive ‘dark patterns’ that breach social media laws
The European Union said Friday that blue checkmarks from Elon Musk’s X are deceptive and that the online platform falls short on transparency and accountability requirements, the first charges against a tech company since the bloc’s new social media regulations…
Germany: We will not be intimidated after report on alleged Russian assassination plot
BERLIN — The German government said Friday that it “won’t be intimidated” by Russian attempts to undermine the country’s support of Ukraine but refused to comment on a report that Moscow planned to assassinate the chief executive of a leading…
Russia says it sentences OSCE employee to prison for spying in east Ukraine
A Russian-installed court in Ukraine’s Donetsk region sentenced an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe official to 14 years in prison on charges of spying for unspecified foreign intelligence agencies, Russia’s prosecutor general said on Friday. In a statement…
Top aid officials call for greater solidarity and support for Haiti
Although the crisis has sparked immense needs, a nearly $680 million humanitarian plan launched in February is less than a quarter funded. “It is very clear for many people of Haiti that they are paying the heavy price of the violence, again, that has ravaged the country,” said Edem Wosornu, Director of…
Sudan: UN-hosted talks on aid relief and civilian protection to continue in Geneva
Heavy conflict erupted last April between rival militaries over a proposed transition to civilian rule, following a military coup in 2021 and the 2019 ousting of long-time President Omar Al-Bashir. UN Geneva spokesperson Alessandra Vellucci confirmed that only one of…
DR Congo: Conflict escalation linked to deadly Mpox threat
For decades, conflict in the mineral-rich eastern DRC has triggered alarming levels of violence, mass displacement, widespread disease, gender-based violence and severe mental trauma, explained Dr Adelheid Marschang, Senior Emergency Officer at the World Health Organization (WHO). ‘Chronic and acute…
Top official warns of weakened regional security following withdrawal from West African economic bloc by Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger
Leonardo Santos Simão, who heads the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), told the Security Council that by “renouncing ECOWAS”, the three military-led governments would be “relinquishing key benefits” including regional integration, freedom of movement, security cooperation…