The Gambia: UN salutes ‘monumental achievement’ as lawmakers uphold FGM ban
Parliamentarians in the West African country voted on Monday to reject a bill that sought to overturn a 2015 law against the harmful practice, which involves cutting or removing some or all of the external female genitalia. FGM is mostly carried…
Gaza: Fresh airstrikes reported in centre, south, as conflict intensifies
In an update from Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis where victims have been admitted, veteran UN aid official Scott Anderson reported witnessing “some of the most horrific” scenes he had experienced in his nine months in Gaza. “With not…
World’s rarest whale may have washed up on New Zealand beach
Spade-toothed whales are the world’s rarest, with no live sightings ever recorded. No one knows how many there are, what they eat, or even where they live in the vast expanse of the southern Pacific Ocean. However, scientists in New…
UN alarmed as childhood immunization levels stall
Geneva — Global childhood vaccination levels have stalled, leaving millions more children un- or under-vaccinated than before the pandemic, the U.N. said Monday, warning of dangerous coverage gaps enabling outbreaks of diseases like measles. In 2023, 84% of children, or…
A decade after MH17 shoot-down, victim’s father waits for Russia to say sorry
HILVERSUM, Netherlands — Quinn Schansman dreamed of becoming the youngest-ever CEO of an American company. A decade ago, he’d just finished the first year of an international business degree in Amsterdam as a step toward that lofty goal. But the…
Russia reports downing 22 Ukrainian drones
Russia’s defense ministry said Monday its air defenses shot down 22 Ukrainian aerial drones. The ministry said it destroyed 15 drones over the Bryansk region, six drones over Russia-occupied Crimea, and one drone over the Lipetsk region. Officials in Bryansk,…
Kenyan government app gives girls info on a taboo topic: menstruation
The Kenyan government is using a new mobile application to educate girls about menstrual health. Through the Oky Kenya app, users can access information on hygiene and other topics. The goal is to dispel myths and misconceptions about menstruation and…
American volunteer’s urge to help Ukraine rooted in family’s struggle
Rima Ziuraitis, an American of Lithuanian descent, has been teaching basic first aid to military personnel and civilians in Ukraine for over a year. Ziuraitis, who first arrived in Ukraine as a volunteer in the fall of 2022, has decided…
Russia says another Ukrainian village captured in the east
Russian troops have captured a small village in Ukraine’s southeast, its Defense Ministry said, an incremental advance that highlights the grinding gains Russian forces continue to make against Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian officials had no immediate comment on the Russian claim…
Treason, espionage cases rise in Russia since start of Ukraine war
TALLINN, Estonia — When Maksim Kolker’s phone rang at 6 a.m., and the voice on the other end said his father had been arrested, he thought it was a scam to extort money. A day earlier, he had taken his…