WHO negotiators fail to draft pandemic treaty
Two years of negotiations ended Friday without a final draft of a global agreement on how to best handle the next pandemic that public health officials say is sure to come. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization was…
Allies prepare to mark D-Day’s 80th anniversary in shadow of Ukraine war
Some of the last surviving World War Two veterans gather in Normandy, France, next month to mark the 1944 allied landings that began the country’s liberation from Nazi German control. But another war on Europe’s doorstep — in Ukraine —…
US announces $275M in new military aid for Ukraine
The United States will provide a new $275 million military aid package for Ukraine to help the beleaguered country repel Russia’s assault on Kharkiv, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Friday. The package includes ammunition for…
Bird flu detected in US dairy cow sent to slaughter, USDA says
Bird flu virus particles were found in tissue samples taken from one dairy cow sent to slaughter at a U.S. meat processing plant, but none were detected in samples from 95 other cattle, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on…
State Department: Ukraine makes own decisions on non-US weapons
In recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified its appeals to the Biden administration to lift the ban on using U.S.-provided weapons to strike targets inside Russia. The White House has said that it “does not encourage or enable” strikes on Russian…
Volodymyr Zelenskyy marks 5 years as president of Ukraine
May 20 marked Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s fifth anniversary as Ukraine’s president. By law, the president serves five years, but elections have been postponed while the country remains under martial law. Katerina Besedina examines Zelenskyy’s challenging term so far. Anna Rice narrates….
Myanmar: UN rights office warns of growing crisis in Rakhine state
Fierce battles have intensified between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, displacing tens of thousands of people in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships in recent days. An estimated 45,000 Rohingya have reportedly fled to an area…
WMO warns of up to seven major hurricanes in North Atlantic in 2024
Typically, an average year sees 14 named storms with wind speeds exceeding 65 kilometres (40 miles) per hour. However, this year, 17 to 25 storms are expected, with four to seven of them potentially becoming major hurricanes, characterized by winds…
Civilians in Ukraine describe continued Russian attacks in north-eastern regions
The spokesperson for the UN human rights office (OHCHR), Liz Throssell, said that people left the Kharkiv region frontline and have been forced to stay in “cold, dark basements, with no electricity” due to aerial bombardments, drone and missile strikes,…
Sudan: Deteriorating situation in El Fasher, health system collapsing nationwide
The fighting has reportedly forced thousands of people to flee since 10 May and caused hundreds of civilian casualties, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists in New York. “Unfortunately, in El Fasher South Hospital – which is the only functioning…