NATO summit to unveil concrete steps for Ukraine’s membership
WASHINGTON — NATO will roll out “concrete ways” to accelerate Ukraine’s eventual membership in the Atlantic alliance during a summit next week in Washington, according to a senior U.S. official. Summit organizers are understood to be leaning toward language in…
USAID helps parts of Ukraine become energy independent
Russian shelling continues to degrade Ukraine’s energy system. Some parts of the country now have access to electricity for just a few hours a day. New generators aim to help supply residents with power and hot water. Tetiana Kukurika has…
Japan’s top court rules forced sterilization law unconstitutional
Tokyo — Japan’s top court ruled on Wednesday that a defunct eugenics law under which thousands of people were forcibly sterilized between 1948 and 1996 was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court also declared that a 20-year statute of limitations could not…
UN rights chief urges free and open space for debate in Venezuela
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reported increasing restrictions on civic spaces, urging stakeholders to reverse course. “My Office (OHCHR) continues to receive reports of detentions as election day approaches, including of supporters and members of the opposition,”…
Haiti: UN envoy welcomes democratic progress amidst alarming violence
Maria Isabel Salvador, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Haiti, briefed ambassadors at the Security Council, highlighting the installation of the Transitional Presidential Council in April and the swearing-in of an interim Prime Minister and new government in June…
Belarus is not safe for anyone critical of authorities, warns rights expert
In her final, annual report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Special Rapporteur on the rights situation in Belarus, Anaïs Marin, echoed wider, longstanding concerns from the UN and the international community about a crackdown on democratic freedoms and other serious…
Ukraine: UN report reveals ‘horrific toll’ of Russian attacks
Released on Wednesday by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), the report explained the hardships civilians faced, including physical and long-term socioeconomic harm. It also emphasised the human rights impact of Russia’s renewed large-scale attacks on critical…
Gaza ‘split in two’ as civilians, humanitarians reset lives, aid efforts
Speaking via video link from Jerusalem, Andrea De Domenico, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), said people have been forced to “completely reset their lives over and over…
Russian attacks kill at least 4, Ukrainian officials say
Ukrainian officials said Wednesday at least four people were killed in Russian missile and aerial drone attacks. Serhiy Lysak, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said on Telegram that Russian forces killed three people and injured 18 others. He also…
Biden announces measures to protect against extreme weather
As the Caribbean sees its first Category 5 hurricane of the year, scientists warn that extreme weather is here to stay due to climate change. Aru Pande reports from Washington, where U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced new climate…