UN Secretary General condemns Russia's largest drone assault on Ukraine
'The Secretary-General strongly condemns the latest series of large-scale drone and missile attacks by the Russian Federation,' Guterres said in a statement referring to the assault Friday and also calling for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
Hours-long Russian bombardments sent Ukrainians scurrying for shelters across the country.
AFP journalists in Kyiv heard drones buzzing over the capital and explosions ringing out throughout the night as Ukrainian air defense systems fended off the attack.
'The Secretary-General is alarmed by this dangerous escalation and the growing number of civilian casualties. Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law and must stop immediately,' said the statement issued by UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
26 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Russia blacklists Yale university in latest crackdown
Russia has labelled Yale University an 'undesirable organization,' authorities said Tuesday, part of a the Kremlin's crackdown on critics that has accelerated during Moscow's campaign in Ukraine. Being declared 'undesirable' effectively bans entities from operating in Russia and makes anyone who works with them liable to prosecution. According to the prosecutor general, Yale's activities were aimed at 'violating territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, imposing an international blockade on the state and undermining its economic foundations.' The prosecutors singled out Yale's School of Global Affairs, accusing it of preparing opposition activists to organize protests in the country. President Vladimir Putin's top contender, late opposition activist Alexei Navalny who died in prison in unclear circumstances in February 2024, was among the school's fellows. The US university joins international organizations and nonprofits such as Amnesty International, British Council, Greenpeace, Elton John's AIDS Foundation which Moscow has labelled as undesirable. Russia has also put on the list independent media outlets such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Meduza.
Al Arabiya
41 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
European powers would restore UN sanctions on Iran if no nuclear deal, French source says
European powers would have to restore UN sanctions on Iran if there were no nuclear deal that guaranteed European security interests, a French diplomatic source said on Tuesday.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
ICC seeks arrest of Taliban leaders over persecution of women
THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity for persecuting women and girls. Judges said there were 'reasonable grounds' to suspect Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani of committing gender-based persecution. 'While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms,' the court said in a statement. The Taliban had 'severely deprived' girls and women of the rights to education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion, ICC judges said. 'In addition, other persons were targeted because certain expressions of sexuality and/or gender identity were regarded as inconsistent with the Taliban's policy on gender.' The court said the alleged crimes had been committed between August 15, 2021, when the Taliban seized power, and continued until at least January 20, 2025. The ICC, based in The Hague, was set up to rule on the world's worst crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. It has no police force of its own and relies on member states to carry out its arrest warrants — with mixed results. In theory, this means anyone subject to an ICC arrest warrant cannot travel to a member state for fear of being detained. After sweeping back to power in August 2021, the Taliban authorities pledged a softer rule than their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001. But they quickly imposed restrictions on women and girls that the United Nations has labelled 'gender apartheid.' Edicts in line with their interpretation of Islamic law handed down by Akhundzada, who rules by decree from the movement's birthplace in southern Kandahar, have squeezed women and girls from public life. The Taliban government barred girls from secondary school and women from university in the first 18 months after they ousted the US-backed government, making Afghanistan the only country in the world to impose such bans. Authorities imposed restrictions on women working for non-governmental groups and other employment, with thousands of women losing government jobs — or being paid to stay home. Beauty salons have been closed and women blocked from visiting public parks, gyms and baths as well as traveling long distances without a male chaperone. A 'vice and virtue' law announced last summer ordered women not to sing or recite poetry in public and for their voices and bodies to be 'concealed' outside the home. When requesting the arrest warrants in January, chief prosecutor Karim Khan said Afghan women and girls, as well as the LGBTQ community, were facing 'an unprecedented, unconscionable and ongoing persecution by the Taliban.' 'Our action signals that the status quo for women and girls in Afghanistan is not acceptable,' he added. Khan warned at the time he would soon be seeking additional warrants for other Taliban officials.
