Uncategorized Archives - Page 13 of 317

Myanmar: Opium crop hits 10-year high amid conflict and economic collapse

·December 4, 2025·3 min read

According to the Myanmar Opium Survey 2025, poppy cultivation rose by 17 per cent over the past year, from 45,200 hectares in 2024 to 53,100 hectares in 2025 – reversing a brief dip and confirming a steady upward trend since 2020. A ‘critical moment’ Opium derived from poppies is the...

Crackdown on Palestinian civil society is reaching alarming levels, warns UN human rights office

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·December 3, 2025·1 min read

Israeli security forces raided the organisation’s offices in Ramallah and Hebron on 1 December, vandalising property and detaining staff. According to OHCHR, people present in the buildings were blindfolded, handcuffed and made to kneel or lie on the floor for several hours. Eight men were detained. The union (UAWC) is licensed under Palestinian law and has supported farmers and...

Mozambique: ‘Civilians were killed, some were even beheaded’

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·December 3, 2025·1 min read

The agency reports that close to 100,000 have been newly displaced in the past two weeks alone, following intensified attacks on villages and a rapid spillover of violence into previously safe districts. Speaking from conflict-ridden Erati in northern Mozambique, Xavier Creach expressed concern over the attacks and inability to sufficiently...

Iraq: UN mission ends, with pledge of continued support

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·December 3, 2025·3 min read

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Mohammed Al Hassan, briefed members for the last time as the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) prepares to conclude its mandate on 31 December after more than two decades of service. “Today, indeed, is a great day for the international community and the United Nations to witness an honourable and dignified closure of a...

‘Decisive action’ needed to end Israel-Palestine stalemate

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·December 3, 2025·2 min read

Annalena Baerbock was speaking at an Assembly plenary meeting where countries debated a resolution that affirms the UN’s responsibility for the question of Palestine. “For 78 years the Palestinian people have been denied their inalienable rights – in particular, their right to self-determination,” she said. “Now, it is high time that we take...

Millions of jobs at risk in Asia-Pacific as AI adoption surges in wealthy nations

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·December 2, 2025·2 min read

Just as industrialisation in the 19th century “split the world into a wealthy few and the impoverished”, the AI revolution could do the same. “Countries that invest in skills, computing power and sound governance systems will benefit, others risk being left far behind,” warned Philip Schellekens, Chief Economist for the UN...

Asia: Lives upended by cyclones, ‘extreme’ rainfall on the rise, warn UN agencies

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·December 2, 2025·2 min read

World Meteorological Organization (WMO) spokesperson Clare Nullis told reporters in Geneva that Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam are among the countries most affected by what she described as “a combination of monsoon-related rainfall and tropical cyclone activity”. “Asia is very, very vulnerable to floods,” Ms. Nullis...

WHO backs wider use of weight-loss medicines, calling obesity a chronic disease

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·December 2, 2025·2 min read

The guidance focuses on GLP-1 therapies – medicines such as liraglutide, semaglutide and tirzepatide – and offers conditional recommendations on how they can be used safely as part of long-term treatment. Living with obesity More than one billion people worldwide live with obesity, which was linked to 3.7 million deaths...

UN chief warns unpaid dues near $1.6 billion, as budget cuts deepen

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·December 2, 2025·3 min read

António Guterres told the Fifth Committee the UN is facing its most fragile cash position in years, despite sharp reductions already built into next year’s budget plans. “Liquidity remains fragile, and this challenge will persist regardless of the final budget approved,” he said, pointing to the “unacceptable volume of arrears”...

Landmine casualties hit four-year high as treaty setbacks deepen

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·December 1, 2025·2 min read

It documents 6,279 casualties in 2024. Children remain especially vulnerable, particularly in conflict-affected countries where displaced families are returning to heavily contaminated areas. “Civilians made up 90 per cent of casualties in 2024,” said Loren Persi, Impact Team Lead for the report. “And children remained a significant portion of all...

Cyclone Ditwah brings worst flooding in decades to Sri Lanka, killing hundreds

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·December 1, 2025·3 min read

According to the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, 998,918 people across all 25 districts have now been affected, with 212 deaths reported and 218 people missing. More than 180,000 people from over 51,000 families are sheltering in 1,094 government-run safety centres as search and rescue efforts continue. Cyclone Ditwah made...

On International Day of Solidarity, UN urges greater support and aid for Palestinians

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·December 1, 2025·1 min read

“At least 67 children have been killed since the ceasefire,” Annalena Baerbock, president of the UN General Assembly, said on Tuesday at an event to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. “The people in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, also endured unspeakable hardship amidst Israeli military operations, settler violence, settlement...