Month: October 2023
Israel-Palestine: Gazans ‘left with nothing but impossible choices’
UPDATED: Reports of an overnight Israeli military incursion using tanks in northern Gaza followed another series of calls by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for civilians in Gaza City to evacuate – warnings which “make no difference” because “people have nowhere to go or are unable to move”, according to the UN’s top humanitarian official…
Read MoreUPDATING LIVE: UN General Assembly convenes emergency meeting on Gaza
11:51 AM Iran slams ‘genocide’ Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, said that it has been three weeks that the international community has been a witness to the “war crime and genocide of the occupying Israeli regime in Gaza and the West Bank of Palestine.” He said that the US and several European…
Read MoreUN chief hits back at ‘false’ claim he justified Hamas terror attacks
Addressing Tuesday’s debate in the Council on the worsening crisis in Israel and Palestine, the UN chief said that although nothing could justify the “appalling” attacks by Hamas of 7 October which triggered the siege and bombardment of Gaza, it was important to recognize they “did not happen in a vacuum” and did not justify…
Read MoreFirst Person: Farmers running out of water in Punjab, India
Water is crucial to rice farmers and when it is lacking, they tend to rely on groundwater. Globally, water taken from underground reservoirs supports 40 per cent of agriculture, but if groundwater levels fall, it becomes harder to reach over time. In Punjab known by some as India’s breadbasket, groundwater is being depleted faster than…
Read MoreMore action needed to advance women’s role in global peace and security
Addressing the Council’s annual debate on resolution 1325, he appealed for countries to “urgently bridge the gap between rhetoric and reality” through concrete action in the areas of participation, financing and leadership. “Of 18 peace agreements reached last year, only one was signed or witnessed by a representative of a women’s group or organization,” he…
Read MoreFirst Person: Israel’s health system responds to October attacks
Dr. Thieren spent almost two weeks travelling across the country to meet with survivors, authorities and families of more than 200 hostages held captive in Gaza. WHO offered humanitarian support to Israel’s health response immediately after the attacks. At the time, Israel’s Health Ministry replied that the system was coping, but that it would not…
Read MoreWorld News in Brief, Afghanistan rights abuses, Sudan crisis deepens, Australia votes no
The series of deadly earthquakes and possibility of massive involuntary returns, all add up to the need for urgent action to avoid further suffering and potential instability, said Richard Bennett. “A grave picture has emerged, providing a glimpse of what may lie ahead for the human rights of many Afghans, particularly women and girls, and also…
Read MoreNigeria to vaccinate 7.7 million girls against leading cause of cervical cancer
In Nigeria, cervical cancer is the third most common cancer and the second most frequent cause of cancer deaths among women aged between 15 and 44. In 2020 – the latest year for which data is available – the country recorded 12,000 new cases and 8,000 deaths from cervical cancer. Under the new immunisation protocol,…
Read MoreIsrael-Palestine: Protection of civilians ‘must be paramount’ in war Guterres tells Security Council
UN News is winding down our live coverage of today’s events in the Council. For full blow by blow coverage of the debate so far and the dozens of speakers to come on the Israel-Palestine crisis, you can visit our special UN Meetings Coverage Section, here. Indonesia Retno Marsudi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia,…
Read MoreIsrael-Palestine: Gaza buckles under fuel shortage, healthcare in crisis
Doctors have been performing surgeries without anaesthesia or other basic surgical supplies, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said in an update, noting that fuel has become the “most vital commodity” in Gaza. Without it, “trucks can’t move and generators can’t produce electricity for hospitals, bakeries and water desalination plants,” said Tamara Alrifai, spokesperson for…
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