Taiwan will not 'bow its head': FM hits out at China during visit to Eswatini

(The Center Square) - The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday in two cases that could determine the temporary protected status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants.

Justices on the court will hear Trump v. Miot and Mullin v. Doe. The two cases challenge an order from the Trump administration that terminated the special immigration status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants living in the United States.

Temporary protected status is granted to immigrants who are fleeing war or natural disasters in their home countries. Haitian and Syrian nationals challenged the Trump administration’s orders.

Kristi Noem, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, terminated the protected immigration status indiscriminately, a lower court judge said.

Justices on the court will decide whether lower court judges have the authority to stop the Trump administration from stripping temporary protected status for the Haitian and Syrian migrants.

James Rogers, senior counsel for America First Legal, said he thinks the justices will not uphold the lower court’s authority to review the secretary’s decisions.

“The statute vests unreviewable determination of the secretary to make these decisions,” Rogers said.

Haiti was first granted temporary protected status in 2010, after an earthquake severely damaged the country’s infrastructure. In 2024, the Biden administration extended temporary protected status for Haiti, based on general concerns about security and humanitarian concerns in the country.

Advocates for the Haitian immigrants said conditions in the country are not safe enough to return. Tirana Hassan, CEO of Doctors Without Borders, said access to water, sanitation and medical care has steeply declined over the past several years.

She said staff members in Haiti were trapped in homes over the weekend of April 18 and 19.

“Armed groups are continually battling the government and its supporters for territorial control,” Hassan said. “Residents are subjected to violence on all sides, caught in the crossfire, killed at checkpoints or attacked in their homes.”

Lawyers for the Haitian immigrants argued that the country is not safe for migrants to return. They also argued that the policy could cause damage to public safety in the United States.

“Stripping TPS holders of their status may discourage them from reporting crimes or seeking medical care due to fear of detention or deportation,” the lawyers wrote.

Syria was first designated temporary protected status in 2012, after the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War. In 2024, the Biden administration extended the cutoff date for Syrian migrants and gave amnesty to anyone who arrived in the U.S. since 2012. Approximately 6,100 Syrian migrants live in the United States under temporary protected status.

Lawyers for the Trump administration cited ongoing diplomatic negotiations between the U.S. and Syria following the end of the civil war in 2024.

“Thwarting the Secretary’s determination of TPS thus undercuts the Secretary’s judgment as to how best to protect the public and how best to further the government’s foreign-policy goals,” lawyers for the Trump administration wrote.

Justices will hear the cases on Wednesday and make a decision by July on temporary protected status for Haitian and Syrian migrants.

Investigators on Sunday said the gunman who tried to storm a gala dinner attended by US President Donald Trump planned to target top government officials, as scrutiny grew over the event's security.

Trump, who was rushed out of the hotel ballroom in Washington by Secret Service agents, posted surveillance camera footage of the gunman attempting to sprint past a security checkpoint as guards drew their weapons.

After an exchange of gunfire, the suspect was detained at the scene and was being questioned Sunday before he is due to appear in court on Monday.

"He's not actively cooperating. I expect that he will be formally charged tomorrow morning in federal court in Washington," acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche told CBS's "Face The Nation."

"We do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, that he was targeting members of the administration."

Blanche added no further motive was known for the attack, confirming the suspect -- who was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives -- was staying at the Washington Hilton hotel where the black-tie dinner was held on Saturday evening.

"We believe that he traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago, and then from Chicago to Washington," Blanche said. "It appears he purchased these firearms in the past couple years."

Attendees dove under tables in chaotic scenes as Secret Service agents swarmed into the glitzy White House Correspondents' Association dinner, held annually in the US capital.

Crowded into the ballroom were Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, several cabinet members and top lawmakers, and hundreds of guests in black tie.

- 'Lone wolf'? -

Trump said at a hastily arranged late-night news conference at the White House that he first thought the noise was a tray being dropped, before realizing it was gunfire. He said he hoped the media gala would be rescheduled within a month.

"They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too," the president said. One officer was shot at close range in his safety vest and appeared to be not seriously harmed.

Trump added that the venue was "not a particularly secure" facility, as questions swirled about the president's safety.

An AFP photographer saw FBI tactical agents on Sunday evening entering a two-story, brown house in Torrance, California associated with the suspect.

Multiple US news outlets identified him as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from the southwestern Los Angeles suburb.

Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024. A gunman fired several shots, killing an audience member and lightly wounding the president in the ear.

A few months later, another man was arrested after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle poking from the bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.

The Washington Hilton where Saturday's gala was taking place was the site where Republican President Ronald Reagan was shot by a would-be assassin in 1981.

The White House Correspondents' Association invited Trump this year despite his repeated attacks on the media.

Before this year and unlike all other presidents from the past 100 years, Trump had never attended while in office.

The dinner brings together journalists and the who's who of Washington to raise funds for scholarships and awards.

The incident late Saturday came less than 48 hours before King Charles III and Queen Camilla begin a four-day state visit to the United States.

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(The Center Square) – A retiring Republican congressman plans to confront Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week over how $2.6 billion appropriated by Congress for military housing assistance was redirected to fund "Warrior Dividend" bonuses paid to 1.45 million service members before Christmas.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a retired Air Force brigadier general and member of the House Armed Services Committee, says the money, drawn from a $2.9 billion Basic Allowance for Housing appropriation in the One Big Beautiful Bill, was intended to help service members living off base.

He is calling on Hegseth to restore the funds and plans to raise the issue before the full committee on Wednesday.

"The barracks budget has been looted for many years for other priorities," Bacon told The Center Square. "We brought in $2.5 billion to increase housing allowances for people living off base in the reconciliation bill. The [Department of Defense] took that money and paid the entire force $1,776 in bonuses, but it was targeted to help those living off base."

President Donald Trump said the funds were from tariff revenue, but the Pentagon used money from the Housing Allowance budget.

Bacon previously chaired the HASC Military Quality-of-Life Panel, leading a year-long inquiry into military pay, housing, childcare and healthcare access.

Congress appropriated $2.9 billion in taxpayer funds for military housing in the One Big Beautiful Bill. An estimated $2.6 billion was allocated to bonuses, leaving $300 million for actual BAH needs.

Trump announced the surprise check for military members on Dec. 18, saying it was a reward funded in part by tariff revenue and his signature funding bill.

"Because of tariffs, along with the just-passed 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' tonight, I am also proud to announce that more than 1,450,000 military service members will receive a special, we call 'Warrior Dividend' before Christmas," Trump said during an address to the nation.

A Pentagon official confirmed to The Center Square that the funding came from the BAH appropriation in the One Big Beautiful Bill.

"Congress appropriated $2.9 billion to the Department of War to supplement the Basic Allowance for Housing entitlement," the official said, adding that the department used an estimated $2.6 billion of those funds for the one-time payment, with the remaining $300 million being used "to support BAH requirements."

Hegseth, in a Dec. 18 video posted to social media, described the payment as a "direct investment in the brave men and women who carry on the legacy of our Armed Forces" and said it was intended to "improve the quality of life for our military personnel and their families."

The House Armed Services Committee convenes at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Rayburn 2118 for a full committee hearing on the Department of Defense's $1.5 trillion budget request. Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are set to testify.

"This money should be restored," Bacon told The Center Square.

Bacon announced in June 2025 that he would not seek reelection in 2026.

The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Netanyahu accuses Hezbollah -

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah's actions were threatening the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, as he pledged to "vigorously" target the Iran-backed group.

"It must be understood that Hezbollah's violations are, in practice, dismantling the ceasefire," he said.

- Israeli strikes -

Lebanese official media said Israel's military began striking the country's south on Sunday after issuing an evacuation warning for seven locations, despite a ceasefire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

"Israeli warplanes launched a strike" in Kfar Tibnit -- one of the locations included in the warning -- the state-run National News Agency said, adding that there were reports of casualties.

- Iran minister expected back in Pakistan -

Iran's foreign minister was due to return to Pakistan on Sunday as international mediators try to keep peace talks on track despite US President Donald Trump calling off his envoys' planned trip.

According to the Iranian news agency ISNA, Abbas Araghchi would again meet Pakistani officials to convey "Iran's positions and views on the framework of any understanding to completely end the war".

The minister had been in Islamabad only the day before, after which he travelled to Oman.

- Trump undeterred by shooting -

Trump said a shooting at a Washington media dinner on Saturday would not divert him from the Iran war.

"It's not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, I really don't think so, based on what we know," Trump told reporters at the White House after the incident.

- Iran executions -

Iran on Sunday executed a man convicted of membership in the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl and involvement in attacks on security forces in the southeast, the judiciary said. On Saturday it announced the execution of a man accused of passing intelligence to Israel.

- Pakistan 'committed' to role -

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had spoken by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian after US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad were called off.

"Pakistan remains committed to serve as an honest and sincere facilitator - working tirelessly to advance durable peace and lasting stability in the region," Sharif wrote on X.

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Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung on a visit to Eswatini slammed China's recent move to pressure several African countries into revoking overflight permits for the island's leader, saying it will not "bow its head."

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te postponed an official trip to Eswatini -- the island's only diplomatic ally -- last week after "Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar unexpectedly and without prior notice revoked the charter's overflight permits".

China claims the self-governed island of Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes its participation in international organisations and exchanges with other countries.

Lin attended the 40th anniversary of Eswatini King Mswati III's accession, representing Lai after arriving in the African kingdom on Saturday.

"No matter how China uses political power to interfere with normal international civil aviation operations, politicising and weaponising flight information ... it will not make Taiwan bow its head, nor will it stop our progress," Lin posted on Facebook on Sunday.

"No unreasonable blockade or pressure can shake our resolve and will to safeguard our dignity and connect with the international community," he added.

The United States has condemned China's action, labelling it an  "intimidation campaign against Taiwan and Taiwan's supporters around the world".

Beijing shot back that it viewed Washington’s remarks as a "baseless accusation", maintaining that its actions were legitimate.

Washington does not officially recognise Taiwan, but is the island territory's main security backer -- though the tone of that support has softened under US President Donald Trump.

Lai's last official overseas trip was in November 2024, when he visited Taiwan's Pacific allies and transited through the US territory of Guam.

Trump's administration reportedly denied Lai permission to transit through New York last year as part of an official trip to Latin America. Taiwan's foreign ministry denied that he was blocked.

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Sabastian Sawe made history on Sunday by becoming the first athlete to run a sub-two-hour marathon as Tigst Assefa smashed her own women's-only world record on the streets of London.

Kenya's Sawe came into the race predicting fireworks and delivered in spectacular style, crossing the line in 1hr 59min 30sec in a race for the ages.

Astonishingly, the top three men all finished inside the previous men's world record of 2:00:35 set in Chicago in 2023 by the late Kelvin Kiptum.

Defending London Marathon champion Sawe was locked in a tight battle with Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha in the closing stages but surged clear.

Kejelcha, running his first-ever marathon, notched a time of 1:59:41 -- the fastest debut ever -- with Uganda's Jacob Kiplomo third (2:00:28).

A delighted Sawe said he went into the race, run in warm spring weather, believing he could break the two-hour mark.

"I am feeling good. I am so happy. It is a day to remember for me," said the 31-year-old, whose winning time was scribbled on his shoe.

"We started the race well. Approaching finishing the race, I was feeling strong.

"Finally reaching the finish line, I saw the time, and I was so excited.... Coming to London for the second time was so important to me and that's why I prepared well for it.

"Finally, what I had done for four months it has come today to be a good result."

Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge ran 1:59:40 in October 2019, becoming the first person in recorded history to complete a sub-two-hour marathon.

But the time was not ratified as a world record because he ran with specialised shoes, standard competition rules for pacing and fluids were not followed, and it was not an open event.

Sawe, wearing Adidas's new Pro Evo 3 supershoe, which weighs less than 100 grams, suggested in the lead-up to Sunday's race that a course record or even a world record was in his sights.

He led a group of six, which also included Olympic champion Tamirat Tola and half-marathon world-record holder Kiplimo as they passed the half-way point in a time of 1:00:29.

The leading sextet later began to string out Sawe and Kejelcha pulled clear, staying in lockstep until the final stages.

Sawe made his move with one mile remaining, finally breaking clear of Kejelcha and pressing on alone, taking 65 seconds of the previous world record.

- Assefa outpaces Obiri -

In the women's race, reigning Olympic and world silver medallist Assefa was locked in a three-way tussle with Kenyan pair Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei, but surged away in the closing stages to cross the line in a time of 2:15:41.

That time beat by nine seconds the Ethiopian's previous best, set on the same course last year.

"I'm so happy to win again," said Assefa, 29. "To repeat my victory from last year means even more. The happiness I feel is just swelling up inside me.

"It was one of my plans really coming into this competition to break my own world record from last year's race. So to do that has brought me a lot of satisfaction."

Obiri, a two-time former world 5,000m champion who won marathon bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics, came in second in a personal best of 2:15:53.

She finished just two-hundredths of a second ahead of compatriot Jepkosgei.

The world record set in a mixed race where female athletes benefit from male pacemakers was by Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich, who clocked 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon in October 2024.

More than 59,000 people were expected to complete the 26.2-mile (42.2-km) course in the 46th London Marathon.

Last year's race set a new world record for the number of finishers, with a total of 56,640 entrants completing the distance.

Marathon organisers said last month they are exploring holding the event over two days next year, allowing up to 100,000 runners.

The 2025 race raised a record £87.3 million ($118 million) for charity, setting a new world record for the biggest annual one-day fundraising event.

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The suspected attacker in a shooting that plunged a press gala attended by US President Donald Trump into chaos has been identified by news media as a 31-year-old mechanical engineer from California.

Hours after gunshots rang outside the ballroom where the glitzy White House Correspondents' Association dinner was being held on Saturday, Trump shared a photo of the suspect handcuffed and face down on the carpeted floor.

The man with brown hair and a moustache was identified by multiple US news outlets, citing law enforcement sources, as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California.

US officials have not yet publicly confirmed the suspect's identity.

A LinkedIn profile with the name "Cole Allen" showed a picture of a man which appeared to match the photo shared by Trump.

On the social media profile, Allen claimed to be an engineer with a passion for game development, based in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.

"Mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth," his profile read.

A person named Cole Allen graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 with an undergraduate degree, the university told the New York Times.

Last year, Allen uploaded a picture wearing a graduation gown and cap, saying he was "done" with his computer science master's degree from California State University Dominguez Hills.

He also posted about an indie game he developed called "Bohrdom," described as a "skill-based, non-violent" fighting game "derived from a chemistry model that is itself loosely based on reality."

C2 Education, a test-prep company based in Torrance, named Allen as "teacher of the month" in an Instagram post dated December 2024.

In that post, a man with brown hair and a half-smile is pictured wearing a navy blue quarter-zip sweater, hands folded behind his back.

- Suburban residence -

Trump told reporters that the suspect, who was detained at the scene, was a California resident and law enforcement agents were probing his home.

The suspect is due to be arraigned in court on Monday on firearm and assault charges, officials said.

Authorities said he was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, and was not known to Washington's Metropolitan Police Department.

"My impression is he was a lone wolf," Trump said, adding that the suspect's motivation was not yet clear but he believed the gunman was "sick."

FBI tactical agents were seen entering a gabled two-story residence in Torrance associated with the suspect on Saturday evening, according to an AFP photographer.

The brown house in the southwestern Los Angeles suburb was cordoned off, glowing red and blue under flashing police lights.

A neighbour told CNN that he saw Allen at the property "a couple of days ago."

According to NBC News, Allen attended the Pacific Lutheran High School in the LA suburbs and was a member of the volleyball team.

A former teammate described him as "borderline genius" and "super stable."

"Other people study hard. He didn't have to study. It would just come to him. He was really, really smart," the ex-teammate told NBC.

He was also described as a "gentle person".

Allen was registered to vote with no party preference, the Los Angeles Times reported.

According to Federal Election Commission records seen by AFP, a person named Cole Allen, identified as a teacher at C2 Education from Torrance, donated $25 to a group raising funds for Kamala Harris's presidential campaign.

aks/hol/ami

World leaders expressed shock after a shooter charged a glitzy media gala in Washington on Saturday night attended by US President Donald Trump -- and relief that there were no casualties.

US law enforcement said the sole suspect, armed with "a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives," has been detained and will face charges Monday in federal court.

Here is how leaders reacted:

- Keir Starmer -

Britain's prime minister said he was "shocked by the scenes at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington overnight."

"Any attack on democratic institutions or on the freedom of the press must be condemned in the strongest possible terms," Starmer wrote on X on Sunday.

- Emmanuel Macron -

French President Emmanuel Macron said the incident was "unacceptable".

"Violence has no place in a democracy," he said on X. "I extend my full support to Donald Trump."

- Benjamin Netanyahu -

The Israeli prime minister said he and his wife Sara "were shocked by the attempted assassination" of Trump.

"We are relieved that the President and the First Lady are safe and strong," Netanyahu wrote on X.

"We send our wishes for a full and speedy recovery to the wounded police officer and salute the US Secret Service for their swift and decisive action."

- Narendra Modi -

The prime minister of India said he was "relieved to learn that President Trump, the First Lady and Vice President are safe and unharmed."

"I extend my best wishes for their continued safety and well-being. Violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned," Modi wrote on X.

- Mark Carney -

The Canadian prime minister said he was "relieved that the President, the First Lady, and all guests are safe."

"Political violence has no place in any democracy and my thoughts are with all those who have been shaken by this disturbing event," Carney wrote on X.

- Claudia Sheinbaum -

The Mexican president wrote on X that "it is good that President Trump and his wife are safe following the recent events. We send them our respect."

"Violence must never be the way," Sheinbaum added.

- Pedro Sanchez -

Spain's prime minister condemned what he called "the attack that took place tonight against President (Trump)."

"Violence is never the answer. Humanity will only move forward through democracy, coexistence, and peace," Sanchez wrote on X.

- Viktor Orban -

Hungary's outgoing prime minister Viktor Orban, a Trump ally, said: "There's no place for violence in politics".

- Kaja Kallas -

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Sunday that "political violence has no place in a democracy".

Kallas said she was "relieved" there were no casualties, adding: "An event meant to honour a free press should never become a scene of fear."

- Shehbaz Sharif -

The Pakistani prime minister wrote he was "deeply shocked by the disturbing shooting incident."

"Relieved to know that President Trump, the First Lady, and other attendees are safe. My thoughts and prayers are with him, and I wish him continued safety and well-being," Sharif wrote on X.

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Fresh fighting erupted Sunday in the key Malian town of Kidal between Tuareg rebels backed by jihadists and government forces supported by Russian mercenaries, a day after insurgents launched coordinated strikes across the restive Sahel nation.  

Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) coalition on Saturday had said they had seized the northern city of Kidal, supported by jihadist fighters. 

"Fighting resumed in Kidal this morning. We want to drive out the last Russian fighters who have taken refuge in a camp," Mohamed Ramdane, a spokesman for the Tuareg rebels said on Sunday.

A local elected official confirmed the fighting.

"Today, Sunday, fighting resumed in Kidal between the Malian army, the Russians and the (Tuareg) rebels. Residents heard gunfire. There's shooting," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Kidal, a Tuareg stronghold, was retaken in November 2023 by the Malian army backed by Russia's Wagner paramilitary group, ending more than a decade of control by rebels. 

The FLA also claims to have taken positions in the northern Gao region.

"The aim of the attackers was not to seize and control cities, but to carry out coordinated actions in order to at least capture Kidal, which is a rather powerful symbol," a security source told AFP on Sunday.

Mali has been ravaged for more than a decade by conflict and jihadist violence but Saturday's attacks were the worst since 2020, when the junta seized power.

They took place on the fringes of the Malian capital Bamako and in several towns and cities across the sprawling Sahel nation.

- Residents on edge -

The fighting left 16 civilians and soldiers wounded and caused "limited material damage," the government said in a statement on Saturday evening.

It added that "the situation is totally under control in all the localities" that were attacked.

In Bamako, soldiers were stationed Sunday morning around a clinic in the city where Defence Minister Sadio Camara was admitted the previous day, according to a medical source and witnesses.

According to residents, the minister’s residence in Kati, a neighbouring town of Bamako and a stronghold of the ruling junta, was largely destroyed by a powerful explosion. 

Camara's aides denied he was wounded.

In the capital, access to military facilities has been blocked by barriers and tyres on the roads, an AFP journalist said.

In the outlying district of Senou, where the airport is located and which witnessed heavy fighting on Saturday, the atmosphere was jittery.

"I still hear the blasts ringing in my ears. It's traumatising,” a resident said. 

Kati was calm after "the jihadists left the area, but we are living in fear," a resident told AFP on Sunday.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres condemned "acts of violence" in Mali.

"The Secretary‑General is deeply concerned by reports of attacks in several locations across Mali," his spokesman said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General calls for coordinated international support to address the evolving threat of violent extremism and terrorism in the Sahel and to meet urgent humanitarian needs," spokesman Stephane Dujarric added.

Russia's Africa Corps, an organisation under direct control of the Russian defence ministry, has taken over from the mercenary Wagner group in helping Malian forces fight jihadists.

Mali has resources including gold and other valuable minerals. 

Mali's rulers, like their military counterparts in neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, have severed ties with former colonial ruler France and several Western countries, moving closer to Russia.

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Slavutych was built as a Soviet paradise for refugees from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster but now it is being born again as a haven for people escaping Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

With is massive theatre, stadium, schools, hospital and rows of identical concrete apartment blocks, Slavutych was the perfect example of the Soviet Union's ideal of "friendship of the peoples".

After the Chernobyl reactor exploded on April 26, 1986, workers and architects from the eight Soviet republics -- Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Russia -- took part in the construction carried out at breakneck speed.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia had to leave their homes as Chernobyl's radiation spread across Europe after the world's worst nuclear accident. 

The population of the town of Prypyat, the town near the Chernobyl reactor where most of its workers lived, was mainly sent to Slavutych.

"All the residents aged over 39 are internally displaced," Slavutych mayor Yurii Fomichev told AFP. 

But the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the final closure of Chernobyl in 2000 saw many of Slavutych residents lose their job, and hope. Most decided it was best to leave. 

- Soviet welcome -

Now there are only about 20,000 people in a town designed to take 50,000. Some buildings in Slavutych were left to abandon, until Russia decided to invade in 2022.

Some 1,265 of the population moved to the town in northern Ukraine because of the war, according to Mykola Kalachnyk, the administration head of the Kyiv region that includes Slavutych. That, however, is just a fraction of the 3.7 million people that the United Nations says has been displaced by the Russian onslaught. 

Russian forces even occupied Slavutych for a few days in March 2022 but left when Kyiv's forces ousted them.

"Here the people have been through so much and they understand us," said Olga, a 50-year-old who lives in the town with her elderly, handicapped mother. 

Four years ago, Olga, who only gave her first name, was forced to flee the town of Enegodar that was home for workers of another Ukrainian nuclear power station at Zaporizhzhia. The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's biggest civilian nuclear power complex, remains in Russian hands. 

Olga and her mother spent 18 months living with another family in the town of Zaporizhzhia before arriving in Slavutych in 2024. She has been given a brand new apartment.

According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR representative in Ukraine, Bernadette Castel-Hollingsworth, every family in Ukraine has been "touched" in some way by the displacement of the war. 

A children's nursery and part of a hospital have been renovated, with help from the government and the United Nations, and turned into apartments for the displaced.

Kateryna Romanenko, 40, left the devastated city of Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region, just before it was captured by the Russians in 2023.

Romanenko is delighted by her Slavutych home which she called her "most positive" experience of the past four years. She pays no rent, just for power and services. 

But Olena Tolstova, 74, said she is feeling the pain of the war turmoil.

"I want to go home," said the retired pharmacist, who pines for her apartment in Energodar and small country dacha house in the countryside.

Tolstova, a widow, is living in hospital dormitory in Slavutych, after spending several months at the home of a friend who had worked at Chernobyl.

Despite wanting to leave Slavutych, she acknowledged that she had been helped under the Soviet principle of "friendship of the people".

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