Strike on Chernobyl: ‘No room for complacency’ says atomic energy watchdog
Russia has denied any responsibility for the attack. The head of the UN-backed international atomic energy watchdog, IAEA – which has a team based at the former Soviet nuclear site in Ukraine – issued a statement confirming that the strike had…
UN rights office condemns continuing Israeli military operation in West Bank
Since the start of the offensive on 21 January, Israeli forces have killed at least 44 Palestinians, including five children and two women, in Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas governorates, and four refugee camps in those areas, according to OHCHR. Many…
DR Congo displacement, health crisis worsens amid dwindling aid access
“The crisis is worsening as people flee to areas where humanitarian aid cannot reach due to insecurity,” UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Eujin Byun told reporters in Geneva. The development comes a day after the top UN aid official in…
Sudan, ‘the most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis in the world’
1) The war: 2023 Khartoum clashes herald end of peace process By the end of 2022, there were hopes that a UN- backed peace process would finally lead to a civilian administration in Sudan, after a tumultuous period which saw…
Belarus: Violations remain ‘widespread and systematic’, says independent expert group
The Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus established in 2024, was tasked with investigating alleged violations since 2020 – when a disputed election saw President Alexander Lukashenko returned to power for a sixth term –…
World must not turn its back on Sudan’s deepening crisis: Guterres
Speaking at a high-level humanitarian conference in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, António Guterres described the situation in Sudan as a catastrophe of “staggering scale and brutality”. He warned that it is increasing spilling into the wider region. “It is…
Kremlin dismisses Ukraine’s accusation that Russia attacked Chernobyl nuclear plant
MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Friday dismissed as a “provocation” accusations by Ukraine that a Russian drone had damaged the containment shelter at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant overnight. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that he did not have precise…
Federal judge pauses Trump order restricting gender-affirming care for trans youth
BALTIMORE — A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aimed at restricting gender-affirming health care for transgender people under age 19. The judge’s ruling came after a lawsuit was filed earlier this month on…
Some veterinarians didn’t know they had bird flu, study suggests
NEW YORK — A new study shows that bird flu has silently spread from animals to some veterinarians. The study published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoes two smaller ones that detected evidence of infection in…
Expert says Trump needs ‘carrot and stick’ with Putin
As U.S. President Donald Trump announced talks to end Russia’s war with Ukraine, Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer in an exclusive interview with VOA Russian describes how Trump will need to use a carrot and a stick to persuade Vladimir…