UN News Champion: ‘Are you keeping up with the death?’ The grinding toll of war in Gaza
“My team — my friends — are the reason I stand where I am today. This will, inevitably, evolve into a homage to them, but also to the Gaza I was so fortunate to know. Those who have known Gaza…
Tchaikovsky and America: A mutual fascination
In November Denis von Meck, a descendant of the great composer, came to UN Headquarters to talk about Tchaikovsky’s relationship with the United States, and his important role in ensuring the success of New York’s iconic Carnegie Hall. Denis von…
Sudan’s worsening famine: Conflict puts millions at risk
More than 24.6 million people – half of Sudan’s population – are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, according to the IPC initiative, which tracks extreme hunger globally. IPC’s Famine Review Committee (FRC) confirmed that famine (IPC phase 5)…
Ukrainian forces destroy 36 Russian drones
Ukraine’s military said Tuesday it shot down 36 of the 60 drones that Russian forces deployed in overnight attacks. The intercepts took place in the Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Poltava, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia regions, Ukraine’s air force said. Serhiy…
VOA Mandarin: Trump’s new AI policy seeks to loosen regulations, support innovation, defeat China
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to repeal President Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence security, setting the stage for deregulation for AI companies by nominating pro-business, pro-startups Silicon Valley leaders. The nomination of Jacob Helberg, an outspoken China…
Yemen bears world’s highest cholera burden, deepening humanitarian crisis
November saw a sharp increase in cholera cases and deaths compared to the same period in 2023, with suspected cases rising by 37 per cent and deaths by 27 per cent. Yemen’s cholera crisis comes on top of more than…
Syria: UN investigators call for protecting evidence amid worsening humanitarian crisis
In parallel, the International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism for Syria (IIIM) concluded a historic visit to Damascus, emphasizing the urgency of preserving evidence related to the most serious international crimes before it is irretrievably lost. Fuel shortages, disrupted roads Essential…
Only 3 per cent of UN emergency food aid getting to desperate Gazans
At the end of December, a joint UN convoy of nine trucks successfully reached people in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, who had been cut off from aid for over 75 days. Images taken by UN staffers showed desperate residents rushing…
Over 207 executed in Port-au-Prince massacre: UN report
The report by the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) covers the period between 6 and 11 December, during which 134 men and 73 women were killed. Most of…
Nissan, Honda announce plans to merge, creating world’s No. 3 automaker
TOKYO — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan have announced plans to work toward a merger, forming world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had…