Red Cross

The rules of war aren't protecting civilians. Can they be enforced?

5:00am October 30, 2024

The Geneva Conventions recently marked their 75th anniversary, yet the rules of war are being widely violated. NPR’s Greg Myre reports from two ongoing wars, Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas.

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Tuyishimire Primitiva, phlebotomist with the American Red Cross, draws whole blood from Teresa McLeland at the American Red Cross on April 12, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Health & Safety

Red Cross declares an emergency blood shortage, as number of donors hits 20-year low

4:03pm January 09, 2024

by Diba Mohtasham

The number of people donating blood has dropped 40% over the last two decades, according to the Red Cross. Severe winter weather and illnesses could make an already bad situation even worse, it says.

Runners fall during the running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, Monday, July 11, 2022.

Three runners are gored in a tense 5th Pamplona bull run

3:39am July 11, 2022

by The Associated Press

It was the first run with gorings in the festival so far this year. Three more daily runs before it finishes Thursday.

Health & Safety

As fertilizer fire burns, evacuation shelter provides some relief

2:57pm February 01, 2022

by David Ford

As the fertilizer plant fire continues to burn in Winston-Salem, residents within a one-mile radius of the blaze — roughly 6,500 people — are being asked by officials to leave their homes over conc

A flag of the International Committee of the Red Cross flutters above the humanitarian organization's headquarters in Geneva on Sept. 29, 2021. The ICRC is pleading with hackers to keep stolen data confidential.

World News

Cyberattack on Red Cross compromised sensitive data on over 515,000 vulnerable people

12:57pm January 20, 2022

by Jenna McLaughlin

The attack targeted a contractor in Switzerland that was storing the data. The Red Cross has been forced to halt a program that reunites families torn apart by violence, migration or other tragedies.

Workers use a tape measure mark spaces six feet apart for people to wait in line safely as they convert the outdoor plaza in front of Zaytinya, one of Chef José Andres' restaurants in Washington, D.C. Efforts to contain the coronavirus are affecting bloo

Social Distancing Leads To Blood Shortage

3:56pm March 17, 2020

by Jeff Brady

Coronavirus concerns and social distancing guidelines have prompted organizers to cancel thousands of blood drives around the country. Now officials warn there's a shortage for hospitals.

A Yemeni detainee (left) is greeted by a family member after being released by Houthi rebels on Monday. The release was brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

World News

Houthi Rebels In Yemen Release 290 Detainees

4:07pm September 30, 2019

by Paolo Zialcita

The U.N. and The International Committee of the Red Cross applauded the effort and hope it will lead to further releases by Houthi rebels as well as by the Saudi-led coalition waging war in Yemen.

The Taliban say the Red Cross may resume its work in Afghanistan, more than five months after threatening the group. In this photo from March, an orthopedic technician walks past artificial limbs in a workshop at the International Committee of the Red Cro

World News

Taliban Lift Ban On Red Cross, Pledge To Protect Aid Workers In Afghanistan

2:11pm September 16, 2019

by Bill Chappell

"We welcome the acknowledgment of our humanitarian principles and renewal of security guarantees," says the Red Cross leader in Afghanistan.

An satellite image from the company ICEYE shows flooding on Grand Bahama on Monday. The satellite uses radar to look through the clouds.

Environment

Satellite Imagery Shows Extent Of Devastating Flooding On Grand Bahama Island

3:24pm September 03, 2019

Hurricane Dorian hit Sunday as a Category 5 hurricane and then essentially parked itself over the island.

New Zealand nurse Louisa Akavi, pictured here in an undated photo, was captured in Syria in 2013. Her name was kept secret until Sunday.

World News

Red Cross Releases Name Of Nurse Taken Hostage; New Zealand Fears For Her Safety

12:26pm April 16, 2019

by Francesca Paris

For years, New Zealand's government and international media worked to keep Louisa Akavi's name secret. Now the Red Cross hopes that releasing it will lead to information on her whereabouts.