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Updated: Ukraine accuses Russia of genocide after bombing of children’s hospital

Ukraine Mariupol childrens hospital

Updated: 5.30pm (AEDT) Lviv, Ukraine Reuters Russia’s war in Ukraine entered its third week on Thursday with none of its key objectives reached despite thousands of people killed, more than two million made refugees, and thousands forced to cower in besieged cities under relentless bombardment. Ukrainian forces including citizen-soldiers who only last month never dreamed […]

Russia seizes Ukraine nuclear power plant as forces lay siege to cities

Ukraine Zhytomyr Ukranian soldier

Lviv/Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters Russian forces in Ukraine seized Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant on Friday in an assault that caused alarm around the world and that Washington said had risked catastrophe, although officials said later that the facility was now safe. Fighting also raged elsewhere in Ukraine as troops besieged and bombarded several cities in […]

Russian artillery pounds Ukraine’s Kharkiv as ceasefire talks end with no breakthrough

Belarus Ukraine Russia talks

Kyiv, Lviv, Ukraine/Moscow, Russia Reuters Russian artillery bombarded residential districts of Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv on Monday, killing possibly dozens of people, Ukrainian officials said, as Moscow’s invading forces met stiff resistance from Ukrainians on a fifth day of conflict. The attacks took place while Russian and Ukrainian officials met on the Belarusian border, […]

Russia has enough troops massed to invade Ukraine, US says

Russian troops iin Crimea

Moscow, Russia/Washington DC, US Reuters Russia has massed enough troops near Ukraine to launch a major invasion, Washington said on Friday, as it urged all US citizens to leave the country within 48 hours after Moscow further stiffened its response to Western diplomacy.  A Russian attack could begin any day and would likely start with […]

Belarus clears migrant camps at EU border, but crisis not yet over

Belarus Bruzgi Kuznica checkpoint law enforcement

Bruzgi, Belarus Reuters Belarus authorities on Thursday cleared the main camps where migrants had huddled at the border with Poland, in a change of tack that could lower the temperature in a crisis that has spiralled in recent weeks into a major East-West confrontation. In another potential sign of the crisis easing, hundreds of Iraqis […]

‘Pandora Papers’ bring renewed calls for tax haven scrutiny

Jordan King Abdullah II

Washington DC, US AP Calls grew Monday for an end to the financial secrecy that has allowed many of the world’s richest and most powerful people to hide their wealth from tax collectors. The outcry came after a report revealed the way that world leaders, billionaires and others have used shell companies and offshore accounts […]

UN decries Russian use of force against protesters

Russian protests

Reuters Russian police appear to have used excessive force against protesters at the weekend, allegedly injuring more than 70, and may have violated their basic right to freedom of expression, the United Nations said on Tuesday. UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville questioned the disqualification of 57 opposition or independent candidates from the Moscow city […]