Gaza: Hunger fears persist as Israeli operations further harm enclave’s farmers
The development comes as media reports indicated that truce and hostage swap talks in Doha scheduled on Thursday in Qatar had been postponed until early next week. Some 116 hostages are still missing, with 44 believed to have died, reports…
Ethiopia landslides: Death toll rises as UN supports response
More than 250 people are reported to have been killed, amid fears that the toll could rise to over 500, the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a flash update on the disaster, issued on…
Europe tops the charts for alcohol consumption. WHO calls for urgent action to curb the trend
WHO’s Dr Gauden Galea said that the impacts are far-reaching including domestic violence, accidents and mental health issues. He called on countries to implement effective policies to reduce drinking. How much are Europeans drinking? The numbers tell a sobering story:…
UN rights chief calls for end to protest crackdowns in Bangladesh
Over the past few weeks, students in Bangladesh have been protesting against the Government to demand an end to the quota system for government jobs amid rising unemployment. As demonstrations continued, there were eruptions of violence which led to death…
UNICEF chief calls for urgent security reset in Gaza amid ‘new horrors’
“Simply put – we do not have the necessary conditions in the Gaza Strip for a robust humanitarian response,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement issued in the wake of an attack on one of the agency’s vehicles and the latest…
Gaza: Exodus from Khan Younis compounds pressure on meagre resources
According to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, some 1.9 million people – nine in 10 in Gaza – have been forcibly uprooted since 7 October, including people who have been repeatedly displaced. For UN aid agencies and partners, “fuel shortages…
UN chief welcomes agreement between Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas
In response to questions at the regular daily briefing in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said António Guterres “very much welcomes the signing of the Beijing Declaration by the Palestinian factions”, adding that it was “an important step towards…
Yemen: UN envoy warns of threat of return to ‘full-fledged war’ as regional tensions escalate
“The trajectory of the development in Yemen has since the beginning of the year moved in the wrong direction and if left unaddressed could reach a tipping point,” he said. Yemeni Government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition have been battling with Houthi rebels, also…
Where do I go now, ask Gazans uprooted by new Israeli evacuation orders
In Khan Younis, the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) reported witnessing “thousands of people fleeing” westwards as part of the exodus from the enclave’s southern city amid ongoing hostilities, leaving children traumatized and crying uncontrollably. “Elderly people on the…
UN and partners launch emergency appeal to address severe drought in Malawi
In March, the Government declared a state of emergency in 23 of the southeast African nation’s 28 districts amidst severe El Niño conditions. The current El Niño weather pattern is occurring against the backdrop of recurrent disaster and climate shocks,…