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From Washington, this is VOA news. International aid rush to thousands still stranded in Mt. Sinjar in northwest Iraq. Russian relief convoy headed to Ukraine border standoff looms. I'm Ray Kouguell reporting from Washington.
An Iraqi helicopter carrying desperately needed aid to stranded Yazidi refugees fleeing Islamic extremists in northern Iraq crashed, killing the pilot and injuring others on board. The chopper just delivered emergency aid packages and picked up some refugees when it went down. The cause of the crash is unknown. The U.N. refugee agency reports tens of thousands of people who have escaped from Sinjar Mountain in northwest Iraq through Syria have gone back into Iraq's Kurdish region over the past three days. Lisa Schlein reports. UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards says up to 30,000 Yazidi remain trapped on Sinjar Mountain without food, water or shelter. He says access to them is extremely limited. He tells VOA the situation is very fluid and the numbers of displaced continue to rise. "They are in an extremely precarious situation, and the risk is the conditions that they are in -- extreme heat. People are arriving now very dehydrated. They are in urgent need of medical help, of food, of water, of other attention. And I think those are the two things we are focused on -- both the risk from the security side and the risk to them of this extremely hot and difficult and hard to reach situation." Lisa Schlein, for VOA news, Geneva. The European Union is sending an extra $6.7 million in humanitarian aid for those trapped by the latest Jihadist offensive in northern Iraq. The skies over Gaza were quiet for a second day Tuesday in the midst of a 72-hour cease-fire, but Israeli negotiators reported no progress in their talks with the Palestinians on a permanent end to the fighting. The negotiators talked for a second day in Cairo, focusing on Israel's blockade of Gaza. Israel says that issue should only be dealt with as part of longer-term peace talks. Ukraine officials say they will not allow Russian trucks to cross the border unless first inspected by the International Red Cross after Moscow said it was sending a convoy to deliver aid to besieged residents in conflict-torn eastern Ukraine. VOA's Gabe Joselow has more. Russia said Tuesday it is sending 280 truckloads of relief supplies to residents of eastern Ukraine caught in the conflict between Ukrainian armed forces and pro-Russian separatists. However, Ukrainian officials say the Russian trucks are not part of an agreement with the International Committee of the Red Cross to deliver aid to the region. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Danylo Lubkivsky told reporters that Russia can improve the situation in the east by stopping its support of rebel groups. "Stop the aggression, stop the Russian terrorists, stop the shelling, stop your cynical propaganda and there will be no need for any humanitarian aid." Gabe Joselow, VOA news, Kyiv. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging the international community to respond to the shortage of doctors, nurses and equipment needed to fight the Ebola disease raging in West Africa. During a news conference Tuesday, Mr. Ban announced the appointment of U.N. public health expert David Nabarro to coordinate the U.N.'s effort to fight Ebola. The World Health Organization says more than 1,000 people have died since the Ebola outbreak began in February, most of them in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The disease has no known cure. The United States will give South Sudan about $180 million in emergency food aid to help avert famine. National Security Adviser Susan Rice announced the funding Tuesday, saying that South Sudan is facing "the worst food security situation in the world." South Africa's environ ministry announced plans to relocate up to 500 rhinos from Kruger National Park in a bid to curb poaching. The decision marks the first mass removal of rhinos from the park since 1997. Law enforcement authorities say American actor-comedian Robin Williams committed suicide by hanging himself at his California home. He was 63. An official with the local sheriff's office says Williams was found dead Monday by his personal assistant. According to his publicist, Williams had been battling depression. Williams' longtime struggle with drugs and alcohol was well-known. It was just last month Williams admitted himself into a rehabilitation facility to help maintain his sobriety. I'm Ray Kouguell in Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA. |