© UNICEF/Johnny Shahan Children walk through a neighbourhood in Zabadani, rural Damascus, in Syria. Peace and Security Although the war in Syria may not be making headlines lately, the international community must remain focused on achieving a comprehensive political solution to the conflict, UN Envoy for the country, Geir Pedersen, said on Tuesday in his latest briefing to the Security Council in New York. Recalling that Syria is “a hot conflict, not a frozen one”, […]
Tag: WAR
US ships artillery to Ukraine to destroy Russian firepower
by Paul HANDLEY Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The push by the United States to send artillery to Ukraine aims to degrade Russian forces — not only on the immediate battlefield but over the longer term, according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and military experts. The United States, France, Czech Republic and other allies are sending scores of the long-range howitzers to help Ukraine blunt Russia’s mounting offensive in the eastern […]
Russia’s Lavrov warns of ‘real’ danger of World War III
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP)– Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that peace talks with Ukraine would continue, while warning there was a “real” danger of a World War III. Speaking to Russian news agencies, he criticised Kyiv’s approach to the talks, adding: “Good will has its limits. But if it isn’t reciprocal, that doesn’t help the negotiation process. “But we are continuing to engage in negotiations with the team delegated by (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) […]
US believes Ukraine can beat Russia with ‘right equipment’
by Joshua Melvin with Sylvie Lanteaume close to the Ukraine Border Agence France Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — The United States believes Ukraine can win the war against Russia if it has the “right equipment”, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Monday, following a landmark trip to Kyiv alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The visit comes as the war entered its third month, with thousands dead and millions displaced. The conflict has triggered an […]
War in Ukraine could halve 2022 global trade growth: WTO
by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Russia’s war in Ukraine could almost halve world trade growth this year and drag down global GDP growth too, the World Trade Organization projected Monday. The WTO said that the Russian invasion had not only created a humanitarian crisis of “immense proportions” but had also dealt a “severe blow” to the global economy. It also said that in the longer term, the conflict could […]
What we know about what happened in Ukraine’s Bucha
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine on Sunday accused the Russian army of having committed a “massacre” in Bucha, a town northwest of Kyiv recently retaken by Ukrainian troops, where the bodies of civilians were found in the streets. This is what we know at this stage about what happened in Bucha. – A destroyed town – Bucha, a commuter town of around 37,000 outside Kyiv, as well as the nearby town of Irpin, saw fierce […]
Nearly 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees flee war
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Nearly 4.2 million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia’s invasion began on February 24, with almost 40,000 pouring into neighbouring countries in the past 24 hours, UN numbers show. The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, said Sunday that 4,176,401 Ukrainians had fled in just over five weeks, up 38,559 from the figure given a day earlier. Women and children account for 90 percent of those who have left […]
‘Punishment from above’: Hobby pilots build Ukraine’s drone fleet
by Joe Stenson © Agence France-Presse LVIV, Ukraine (AFP) – At a secret location in the Ukraine city of Lviv, the windows taped up to ward off unwanted attention, underground hobbyists improvise deadly drones bound for the front line of the war against Russia. On a cluttered table the x-shaped frame of one drone stands among bundles of plastic propellers and sachets of minuscule screws. Soon it will take flight with its payload: a wine […]
Fleeing Putin, Russians resettle in pro-Kremlin Serbia
by Miodrag SOVILJ Agence France-Presse BELGRADE, Serbia (AFP) – As free speech was curtailed, her friends imprisoned and the Russian economy tanked in the days after Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, Marina packed her bags and fled Moscow. But more than a thousand miles away in her new home in Serbia, the 41-year-old former travel agent has found herself unable to escape the long arm of Russian propaganda in Belgrade where the Kremlin’s […]
Russia adopts bill on jail terms for ‘fake’ news on state actions abroad
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian lawmakers on Tuesday approved legislation imposing jail terms of up to 15 years for publishing false information about Russia’s actions abroad, as Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine approaches one month. The bill, adopted after a third reading by the lower house State Duma, sets out jail terms and fines for people who publish “knowingly false information” about actions abroad by Russian government agencies. If the false information “caused serious […]
US journalist shot dead in Ukraine
First foreign reported killed while covering Russia-Ukraine tensions by Dmitry ZAKS Agence France Presse IRPIN, Ukraine (AFP) — A US journalist was shot dead and another wounded on Sunday in Irpin, a frontline suburb of Kyiv that has witnessed some of the fiercest fighting since Russia invaded Ukraine. Video documentary maker Brent Renaud, 50, was working for Time Studios on a project about global refugee issues, the media outlet said. “We are devastated by […]
More than 1.7 million people flee war in Ukraine: UNHCR
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — More than 1.7 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, according to the latest data from the United Nations on Monday. – 1,735,068 refugees – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, recorded 1,735,068 refugees on its dedicated website, just over 200,000 more than the previous count on Sunday. UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, believes around half of them are youngsters. Authorities and the UN […]





