The World Health Organization (WHO) chief on Wednesday said medical services in Ukraine are severely disrupted, urging Russia “to come back to the table” and work toward peace. “Tomorrow marks 50 days since Russia invaded Ukraine. Thousands of civilians have died, including children,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He said there have been 119 verified attacks on healthcare facilities since the war started on Feb. 24, while 4.6 million refugees have left the country. He said medical services continue to be severely disrupted, particularly in eastern Ukraine, where conflict with Russian-backedRead More

LONDON: Britain‘s annual inflation rate soared to the highest level in three decades last month as energy prices rocket, official data showed Wednesday, worsening a cost-of-living crisis. Inflation surged to 7.0 percent in March from 6.2 percent in February, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement. “Broad-based price rises saw annual inflation increase sharply again in March,” said ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner. “Amongst the largest increases were petrol costs.” Prices of restaurant meals and hotel rooms also rose steeply last month after falling a year earlier during a pandemic lockdown in the UK.Read More

Finland‘s Prime Minister Sanna Marin said Wednesday the country would decide on whether to apply for NATO membership “within weeks”. “I think it will happen quite fast. Within weeks, not within months,” Marin told reporters at a Stockholm press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. Sweden is also discussing NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Since the end of the Cold War, Finland and its Nordic neighbour Sweden have remained non-aligned but have deepened ties and are close partners with NATO, stopping short of memberships. Marin stressed that as a NATO partnerRead More