Volker Turk

UN human rights chief reporting on drone strikes and civilian casualties in Sudan's conflict.

2026-05-152026-07-31

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

July 2026
8 JulJoy Online
… UN human rights chief Volker Turk said at least 45 people were killed and 41 injured in 15 drone strikes between 6 and 28 June. …
Fears of a massacre in this city on the front line of Sudan’s war
May 2026
15 MayJoy Online
… Human Rights chief Volker Turk said he was shocked by reports of civilian deaths in Zamfara and urged Nigerian authorities to ⁠undertake a “thorough, independent and impartial” investigation. …
Nigeria rights body demands probe into civilian deaths in airstrikes

World & Region

Nicaraguan leader proposes extending presidential term further

The News

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, in power since 2007, has proposed extending the presidential term by another year as part of a constitutional reform that would also bar opposition members deemed "traitors" or "coup plotters" from running for office. The government-controlled National Assembly is expected to approve the extension in September, continuing a pattern of term-limit changes during Ortega's 19-year rule.

15 hours ago · Joy Online →

Yesterday

Nicaraguan leader proposes extending presidential term further
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, in power since 2007, has proposed extending the presidential term by another year as part of a constitutional reform that would also bar opposition members deemed "traitors" or "coup plotters" from running for office. The government-controlled National Assembly is expected to approve the extension in September, continuing a pattern of term-limit changes during Ortega's 19-year rule.
15 hours ago · Joy Online →

Friday 17 July

Iran accuses US of hitting civilian infrastructure
Iran has accused the US of hitting civilian infrastructure including bridges, a train station and an airport in air strikes since peace talks collapsed. BBC Verify confirmed an attack on a bridge in Hormozgan province, and provincial authorities said seven people were killed on Thursday night.
17 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Iran accuses US of hitting civilian infrastructure
Iran has accused the US of hitting civilian infrastructure including bridges, a train station and an airport in air strikes since peace talks collapsed. US Central Command says the attacks were intended to degrade Iranian military capabilities, and seven people were killed in strikes on Thursday night according to provincial authorities.
17 July 2026 · Joy Online →
US strikes Iran for sixth night amid Strait of Hormuz tensions
The US launched new strikes against Iran for a sixth consecutive night, with Centcom saying the attacks aimed to "further degrade Iranian military capabilities" and that US forces had boarded vessels as part of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's state media reported US missiles struck near the island of Qeshm, in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr (site of a nuclear power plant), and hit two bridges in Hormozgan province, with the BBC verifying an attack on one bridge west of Bandar Abbas.
17 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 15 July

Iran threatens Strait of Hormuz closure as US launches fresh strikes
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz and other regional oil and gas export channels until the US ends "acts of aggression," while the US military carried out new strikes on Iranian military targets including coastal defences and missile sites on Greater Tunb Island, triggering rising oil prices amid stalled tanker traffic.
15 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Iran threatens strait closure as US launches military strikes
Iran's Revolutionary Guards have threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz and other regional oil and gas export channels in response to US military strikes on Iranian targets, which the US military said degraded Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping in the region.
15 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Trump threatens Iran infrastructure strikes unless negotiations resume
US President Trump threatened to strike Iran's bridges and power plants next week if the country does not return to talks, as the two countries exchanged fire for the fourth consecutive day. The threats, which have drawn UN condemnation as potential war crimes under international law, came as Trump reversed a threatened 20% fee on Strait of Hormuz shipping but maintained a blockade of Iranian ports.
15 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 8 July

Drone strikes, siege conditions intensify humanitarian crisis in Sudan
El-Obeid, a city of 500,000 on the front line of Sudan's three-year civil war, endured 27 drone strikes in June and has been under siege-like conditions for 18 months, with UN human rights chief Volker Turk reporting at least 45 people killed and 41 injured in 15 strikes between 6 and 28 June, alongside summary executions, abductions, torture, and sexual violence affecting those fleeing the conflict.
8 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 25 May

Venezuelan prison inmates protest mistreatment, clashes erupt
Violent clashes have erupted between inmates and security at a prison in the Venezuelan state of Barinas after prisoners protested alleged mistreatment including violent searches, solitary confinement, and shootings. Prisoner rights organisations say inmates at Injuba jail have been complaining for over a week about conditions under the prison's new director.
25 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 20 May

Drone strike kills 28 at Sudan market, rights group reports
A drone strike hit a crowded market in the town of Ghubaysh in West Kordofan province, Sudan on Tuesday morning, killing 28 people and wounding dozens more, according to the Emergency Lawyers rights group. The strike occurred during peak shopping hours in an area serving as an economic lifeline for thousands across the region amid the ongoing war that began in April 2023.
20 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 15 May

Nigeria's rights body demands probe into airstrike civilian deaths
Nigeria's National Human Rights Commission called on the military to launch a thorough investigation into recurring civilian casualties from military airstrikes. Amnesty International cited witnesses reporting at least 100 civilians killed in a Nigerian military airstrike on a market in Zamfara state last weekend, the third reported incident since April, though the military said there was no evidence of civilian casualties.
15 May 2026 · Joy Online →