Western Solidarity Demos Demand End to Ukraine War

Berlin was among several cities around the world to see people take to the streets in solidarity with Ukraine. Odd ANDERSEN AFP
Berlin was among several cities around the world to see people take to the streets in solidarity with Ukraine. Odd ANDERSEN AFP
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Western Solidarity Demos Demand End to Ukraine War

Berlin was among several cities around the world to see people take to the streets in solidarity with Ukraine. Odd ANDERSEN AFP
Berlin was among several cities around the world to see people take to the streets in solidarity with Ukraine. Odd ANDERSEN AFP

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday in cities from Paris to New York in support of Ukraine, demanding an end to Russia's invasion.

Citizens worldwide have been horrified by Russian President Vladimir Putin's attack, which began on February 24 and appeared to be entering a new phase with escalating bombardment, AFP said.

Around 41,600 people demonstrated in 119 protests in towns and cities across France, according to interior ministry estimates. In Paris itself, some 16,000 turned out.

"Despite the suffering, we are going to win, we are sure of it," said Nataliya, a Franco-Ukrainian with the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag draped over shoulders, at the Paris protest.

She declined to give her full name because of concerns about the safety of her son in Ukraine. "We are proud of their courage, their determination," she added.

"We will be here every weekend, in Paris or elsewhere, until Putin leaves, withdraws his tanks," said Aline Le Bail-Kremer, a member of Stand With Ukraine, one of the organizers of the protest.

One of the largest rallies to demand the withdrawal of Russia's troops from Ukraine on the invasion's 10th day was in Zurich, where organizers believed 40,000 people took part, Switzerland's ATS news agency reported.

Demonstrators in the largest Swiss city called for "peace now", while others carried signs saying: "Stop War" and "Peace".

Hundreds also turned out in London, including Ukrainians whose families were forced to flee Russian bombs.

"We need to keep on reminding everyone, we need to stay united to support our country," said Olena Marcyniuk, 36, at a protest in central London's Trafalgar Square with her children aged 14 months and nine years.

"Maybe somehow (we can) get through to Russia as well that the world is for Ukraine and that it needs to start acting to stop the war."

Much of her family had fled, but her uncle stayed in Kyiv to "fight for the city", she said.

- 'No to Putin, no to NATO' -
In the center of Rome, unions and organizations rallied in a large "procession of peace", demonstrating against Putin but also NATO.

"No base, no soldier, Italy out of NATO," chanted pacifists preceded by a large flag in the colors of the rainbow.

"This is perhaps one of the first real demonstrations for peace," Italian cartoonist, actor and writer Vauro Senesi told AFP.

"Here no one believes we make peace with arms, that we make it by sending arms to one of the parties (Ukraine)."

More than a thousand people also demonstrated in the Croatian capital Zagreb with banners saying: "Stop the War, Save Europe" and "Glory to Ukraine".

In the Balkans, the invasion has revived dark memories of the bloody break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, which killed more than 100,000 people during a series of conflicts.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, several thousand people gathered in New York's Times Square.

They carried sunflowers, Ukraine's national flower, and signs calling to "Stop Russian terrorism".

At a podium, several speakers echoed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, which NATO has so far resisted for fear of triggering a direct conflict with Russia.

Last weekend, hundreds of thousands also turned out in yellow and blue across Europe including in Russia, Germany, Spain, Finland and the Czech Republic.



Freed Gaza Flotilla Activists Allege Israeli Abuse Including Rape

 Italian members of the Global Sumud Flotilla arrive at the Fiumicino Airport in Rome on Thursday, May 21, 2026, after they were released and deported by the Israeli government after attempting to reach Gaza. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)
Italian members of the Global Sumud Flotilla arrive at the Fiumicino Airport in Rome on Thursday, May 21, 2026, after they were released and deported by the Israeli government after attempting to reach Gaza. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)
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Freed Gaza Flotilla Activists Allege Israeli Abuse Including Rape

 Italian members of the Global Sumud Flotilla arrive at the Fiumicino Airport in Rome on Thursday, May 21, 2026, after they were released and deported by the Israeli government after attempting to reach Gaza. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)
Italian members of the Global Sumud Flotilla arrive at the Fiumicino Airport in Rome on Thursday, May 21, 2026, after they were released and deported by the Israeli government after attempting to reach Gaza. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP)

Activists released from Israeli custody after being detained on a flotilla trying to bring aid to Gaza were subjected to abuse, organizers said on Friday, with several hospitalized with injuries and at least 15 reporting sexual assaults, including rape.

Israel's prison service denied the allegations, and Reuters was not able to verify them independently.

Germany said some of its nationals had been injured and that some accusations were "serious", without giving further details. A legal source in Italy said prosecutors there were investigating possible crimes including kidnapping and sexual assault.

"The allegations raised are false and entirely without factual basis," an Israeli prison service spokesperson said in a statement.

"All prisoners and detainees are held in accordance with the law, with full regard for their basic rights and under the supervision of professional and trained prison staff," it said. "Medical care is provided according to professional medical judgment and in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines."

The Israeli military referred queries to the foreign ministry, which referred them to the prison service.

Israeli forces arrested 430 people on board 50 ships in international waters on Tuesday to halt a flotilla of ‌volunteers trying to bring ‌aid supplies to the Gaza Strip.

The allegations of abuse will add to pressure on Israeli authorities to ‌explain the ⁠treatment of the ⁠detainees, after video of an Israeli cabinet minister in a prison mocking some of the activists sparked an international outcry. Italy said EU members were discussing imposing sanctions on the minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.

ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE

Global Sumud Flotilla, the organizers of the aid shipment, said the group had documented at least 15 cases of sexual abuse, with the worst occurring on one Israeli landing craft which had been converted into a makeshift prison with barbed wire and shipping containers.

Detainees were thrown into the containers and beaten over the head and ribs, the group said in a statement.

They suffered multiple cases of sexual abuse, including "humiliating strip searches, sexual taunting, groping and pulling of genitals, and multiple accounts of rape."

"At least 12 sexual assaults have been documented on that vessel alone, including anal rape and forcible penetration ⁠by a handgun," it added.

The statement was released after the Israeli prison service's blanket denial of mistreatment, rape and ‌sexual assault allegations. Reuters sent the additional specific allegations to the prison service but did not receive ‌a reply after hours on Friday, a holiday in Israel.

Ilaria Mancosu, an Italian activist, said the flotilla members were removed from their boats to two so-called prison ships. ‌Those put on one of the ships suffered more violence than the other. They were locked in a container and beaten by five soldiers, ‌suffering fractures to the ribs and arms. Some had serious injuries to their eyes and ears caused by tasers.

She said they spent two days on the prison ships with no running water and used cardboard and plastic to keep warm at night, since they had no blankets and were stripped of most of their clothes.

Once on land they were made to kneel for several hours and kicked and shoved if they moved or spoke. They were then taken to a prison where they were ‌moved from room to room periodically to keep them from sleeping, she said.

ROME PROSECUTORS INVESTIGATING POSSIBLE CRIMES

Rome prosecutors are investigating the possible crimes of kidnapping, torture and sexual assault and will hear testimony from activists ⁠who have returned to Italy over ⁠the coming days, the Italian legal source said.

A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson said consular officials who met German activists on their arrival in Istanbul reported that a number had injuries and were undergoing medical checks.

Humane treatment of German nationals was an "absolute priority," the spokesperson said, and "we naturally expect a full explanation, as some of the allegations that have been made are serious".

Sabrina Charik, who helped organize the return of 37 French citizens from the flotilla, told Reuters five French participants had been hospitalized in Türkiye, some with broken ribs or fractured vertebrae. Some had made detailed accusations of sexual violence, including of rape, she said.

In an Instagram post by an activist group verified by Reuters, French national Adrien Jouen showed bruises across his back and on his forearms.

Activists said some of the alleged abuse took place at sea after their interception by Israeli naval forces, and some following their arrest and imprisonment in Israel.

Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told reporters that 44 Spanish flotilla members were expected to arrive on Friday on flights from Istanbul to Madrid and Barcelona. Four of them had received medical treatment for injuries, he added.

Western governments on Thursday had expressed their anger after Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself mocking activists being pinned to the ground in a prison.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on the sidelines of the NATO meeting in Sweden that he was in touch with all his EU counterparts "so that there may be a quick decision to impose sanctions" on Ben-Gvir.


Ebola Risk Now at Highest Level in DR Congo, Says WHO

Medical staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) are seen at the hospital in Rwampara on May 21, 2026. (AFP)
Medical staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) are seen at the hospital in Rwampara on May 21, 2026. (AFP)
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Ebola Risk Now at Highest Level in DR Congo, Says WHO

Medical staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) are seen at the hospital in Rwampara on May 21, 2026. (AFP)
Medical staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) are seen at the hospital in Rwampara on May 21, 2026. (AFP)

The risk from the deadly Ebola outbreak has been raised to the highest level for the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization said Friday, as the toll continues to rise.

The WHO upgraded its risk assessment level from high to very high for the DR Congo, while keeping the regional risk level at high and the global risk level at low.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the situation was "deeply worrisome".

He said there were now nearly 750 suspected cases in the DR Congo and 177 suspected deaths, as health workers scramble to track down contacts of everyone thought to be infected with the virus.

"The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading rapidly," he told a press conference.

"So far, 82 cases have been confirmed in DRC, with seven confirmed deaths.

"But we know the epidemic in DRC is much larger. There are now almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths."

He said the situation in Uganda was "stable", with two cases confirmed in people who travelled from DRC and one death.

Measures taken in Uganda, including "intense contact tracing" and calling off the Martyrs' Day commemorations, "appear to have been effective in preventing the further spread of the virus", Tedros added.

While a US national who was working in the DRC has tested positive and been transferred to Germany for care, Tedros said another US national deemed to be a high-risk contact had been transferred to the Czech Republic.

Besides national staff already in the DRC, he said 22 international staff had been deployed to the field, "including some of our most experienced people".

Tedros said that violence and insecurity was impeding the response to the outbreak in the DRC.

- Treatment trials planned -

Ebola is a deadly viral disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids. It can cause severe bleeding and organ failure.

There are no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola behind the current outbreak.

There have only been two previous outbreaks of Bundibugyo, in Uganda in 2007 and DRC in 2012.

WHO chief scientist Sylvie Briand said the UN agency was making an inventory of all existing tools which might be useful in combating the outbreak and then prioritizing them, with safety and efficacy the main criteria.

The WHO research and development branch has convened its technical advisory group on treatments, which recommended the prioritization of two monoclonal antibodies for clinical trials.

It also recommended evaluating the antiviral obeldesivir in clinical trials as post-exposure prophylaxis for people who are high-risk contacts.

Briand said it looked "promising" as something that might be able to prevent infected contacts from going on to develop disease from that infection.

The WHO is also in talks with partners on developing eventual vaccines that work against Bundibugyo.


Ukraine Hits College in Russian-Occupied Town, Killing 6

22 May 2026, Ukraine, Starobelsk: Emergency workers search through the rubble of the dormitory of the Starobelsk Professional College, part of the Lugansk State Pedagogical University, which was hit and destroyed in a Ukrainian drone strike on Starobelsk. (Alexander Reka/TASS via ZUMA Press/dpa)
22 May 2026, Ukraine, Starobelsk: Emergency workers search through the rubble of the dormitory of the Starobelsk Professional College, part of the Lugansk State Pedagogical University, which was hit and destroyed in a Ukrainian drone strike on Starobelsk. (Alexander Reka/TASS via ZUMA Press/dpa)
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Ukraine Hits College in Russian-Occupied Town, Killing 6

22 May 2026, Ukraine, Starobelsk: Emergency workers search through the rubble of the dormitory of the Starobelsk Professional College, part of the Lugansk State Pedagogical University, which was hit and destroyed in a Ukrainian drone strike on Starobelsk. (Alexander Reka/TASS via ZUMA Press/dpa)
22 May 2026, Ukraine, Starobelsk: Emergency workers search through the rubble of the dormitory of the Starobelsk Professional College, part of the Lugansk State Pedagogical University, which was hit and destroyed in a Ukrainian drone strike on Starobelsk. (Alexander Reka/TASS via ZUMA Press/dpa)

Ukrainian drones struck a college dormitory in the Russian-occupied region of Lugansk early Friday, killing six people and wounding dozens of others, Russian officials said.

As many as 15 others remained missing as of Friday afternoon, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in televised comments, describing the incident as a "terrorist" attack.

Putin ordered his defense ministry to prepare a response, without elaborating.

The Lugansk region is in east Ukraine, but is almost entirely occupied by Russia, which claims it as its own.

Images released by the region's Russian-installed governor showed what appeared to be a college in the town of Starobilsk with its windows blown out, flames visible in one of them.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

"Enemy drones attacked the academic building and dormitory of Starobelsk Professional College," Moscow-installed governor Leonid Pasechnik said in a post on Russia's MAX messenger, using the Russian name for the town.

"At the time of the strike, 86 children aged 14 to 18 were there," he added.

Starobilsk lies about 65 kilometers (40 miles) from the front line in east Ukraine.

Russian forces captured the town in 2022, shortly after launching their full-scale offensive.

AFP was not able to immediately verify information about the college that was hit.

- 'No leniency' -

Putin said the attack took place as the students were sleeping.

"At the moment, it is known that six people were killed, 39 were wounded and 15 people are unaccounted for, as the search through the rubble is still ongoing," he said in televised comments.

"There are no military facilities, special services, or related services near the dormitory," he added.

Russia's foreign ministry said that those responsible would face "face inevitable and severe punishment".

"There will be no leniency," it said.

Russia's Investigative Committee accused the Ukrainian military of having fired multiple drones at the building.

"As a result of the attack, the five-storey building collapsed to the second floor," it said.

Ukraine, which denies targeting civilians, regularly fires drones at Russian-controlled areas in retaliation for mass Russian strikes on its own people.

The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has recorded more than 60,000 civilian casualties since 2022, almost 90 percent of which were in areas controlled by Ukraine.

A massive Russian attack on Ukraine's capital Kyiv last week killed 24 people, including three children, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Russia fired more than 100 drones at Ukraine between late Thursday and early Friday, according to the Ukrainian air force.