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Russia Skips UN Meeting Pledging Respect for Humanitarian Law

A flag is seen on a building of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland February 27, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A flag is seen on a building of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland February 27, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Russia Skips UN Meeting Pledging Respect for Humanitarian Law

A flag is seen on a building of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland February 27, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A flag is seen on a building of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland February 27, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Switzerland hosted United Nations Security Council members at a meeting in Geneva on Monday to recommit to international humanitarian law, describing an "alarming" global context characterised by over 120 armed conflicts, with Russia the only member absent.

Switzerland, which is one of the 15 members, organised the informal meeting to commemorate the Geneva Conventions, signed 75 years ago after World War Two in the Swiss city to limit the barbarity of war.

"I call for us to raise respect of the Geneva Conventions to the level of a top political priority," Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told the meeting attended by envoys from a range of countries, including 14 of the 15 UN Security Council members, Reuters reported.

Asked about Russia's absence, he said that all members were invited to think about international humanitarian law collectively but said attendance was not compulsory.

Russia's envoy in New York described the meeting as a "waste of time".

"We believe that the Security Council should be focusing on more important matters than travelling around Europe," said Russia's Deputy Permanent Representative in New York Dmitry Polyanski in a message sent by the diplomatic mission in Geneva.

Russia is a 'P5' member which holds a permanent seat within the broader Security Council alongside the United States, France, Britain and China.

At the same meeting the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric described the Geneva Conventions as "under strain", referring to the Gaza conflict as well as Ukraine.

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7.0 Quake Causes Slight Damage in Tonga and Brief Tsunami Evacuations

7.0 Quake Causes Slight Damage in Tonga and Brief Tsunami Evacuations
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7.0 Quake Causes Slight Damage in Tonga and Brief Tsunami Evacuations

7.0 Quake Causes Slight Damage in Tonga and Brief Tsunami Evacuations

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit near Tonga early Monday morning, causing slight damage and brief evacuations before the threat of a tsunami hitting the Pacific island country passed.
Tsunami sirens could be heard after the 1:18 a.m. quake urging residents to move inland in a live video streamed by the Tonga Broadcasting Commission. People in the capital, Nuku’alofa, were seen moving inland or to higher ground before officials gave the all-clear for residents to return home.
Tongans posting on social media reported being able to place calls to most islands in the archipelago. Taekwondo athlete Pita Taufatofua posted to Facebook that items fell from shelves and tables and pictures fell from the walls during the shaking, The Associated Press reported.
“Was hard to stand up,” he wrote. “Never felt an earthquake go for that long.”
The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 29 kilometers (18 miles) and was centered about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northeast of the main island. Hours later, a second 6.1 magnitude quake hit in the same area.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a notice after the first quake saying hazardous waves were possible but the threat passed with only minor sea changes detected. A warning was also cancelled hours later by the country's disaster management office.
There were no reported casualties or structural damage, said Mafua Maka, the agency's director, speaking to Radio New Zealand a few hours after the quake. Further assessment would be made in daylight, local news outlets said.
Tonga is a country in Polynesia made up of 171 islands with just over 100,000 people, most of whom live on the main island of Tongatapu. It is 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) northeast of New Zealand and situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic region of earthquakes and volcanoes.