World News in Brief: Rafah ‘slaughter’ fears, Ukraine energy system attacks, rights abuses against Syrian returnees

Progress towards resolving Syria’s decade-long conflict has reached an impasse, the chief United Nations mediator told the Security Council on Tuesday, as an uptick in fighting throughout the country led to some of the largest civilian displacements in a year.

Humanitarian needs, including a lack of shelter, are soaring among displaced communities, as fighting continues in Yemen’s Marib governorate, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday.

An Afghan doctor has told UN News that he is committed to providing essential healthcare services to people who have fled their homes due to conflict in Afghanistan, but safety fears mean that his future and that of his colleagues, particularly women health workers, is uncertain.