Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now
A Russian air strike hit a Mariupol children's hospital on Wednesday, Ukraine said, blaming Russia for breaking a ceasefire at the southern port as Ukrainians elsewhere fled the fighting through safe corridors.
HOSPITAL HIT
* Local authorities say the hospital was hit several times, causing "colossal" destruction, and that 17 people were wounded.
* A Kremlin spokesman said: "Russian forces do not fire on civilian targets" and blamed Ukraine for the failure of a planned evacuation from Mariupol.
REFUGEES
* Around 35,000 people were evacuated through humanitarian corridors from three cities on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Local officials said civilians had left Sumy in the east and Enerhodar in the south.
* Another six escape routes are planned for Thursday, according to Zelenskiy.
* Over 2 million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began two weeks ago, the U.N. said. read more
DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Turkey for talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, but Kuleba said his expectations were "low." * Leaders of the 27-nation EU are to meet in Versailles on Thursday and Friday, as Russia's war against Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation", enters its third week. read more
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.