Flagship economic report highlights why global cooperation is key
The flagship forecast launched in New York on Thursday indicates that last year’s stronger-than-expected GDP growth coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic masked short-term risks and structural vulnerabilities in the world economy. The sombre short-term outlook is based on persistently high interest rates, further escalation of conflicts, sluggish international trade, and increasing climate disasters, which…
Read MoreFirst Person: Christmas under rocket attack in Ukraine
In Ukraine, there was no respite from war over the holiday period, neither for the country’s citizens, nor the UN workers attempting to deliver aid and support, a senior official for the UN migration agency (IOM) told UN News. Yuri Rudenko, National Programme Officer for IOM Ukraine, was on leave in his hometown of Dnipro on…
Read MoreGaza crisis deepens as UN aid convoys face delays and obstacles
In its latest alert on the deteriorating situation for 1.9 million displaced people in the Strip, UN aid coordination office OCHA blamed “delays and denials” along with active conflict for the lack of distribution beyond Wadi Gaza. “This includes medicines that would have provided vital support to more than 100,000 people for 30 days, as well…
Read MoreGuterres strongly condemns attack in Iran; over 100 reportedly killed
More than 170 people have also been wounded according to Iranian officials at the scene. News reports citing local officials said that there were two explosions as thousands were walking along the route to a cemetery in Kerman which is the final resting place of Qassim Suleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike…
Read MoreSecurity Council meets over Red Sea attacks amid growing threat of spillover from Gaza war
Key points: UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari said “no cause or grievance” could justify continuing Houthi attacks against freedom of navigation in the Red Sea All incidents originating in Houthi controlled areas “must stop” He encouraged “all concerned parties” in the wider region to avoid any further escalation and de-escalate tensions and threats Called for…
Read MoreWorld News in Brief: Child deaths in Ukraine, alarm over US death row ‘experiment’, Timor Leste nutrition boost
“Over the last six days, children and families, and the infrastructure they rely on have come under attack in Dnipro, Lviv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odesa, and other populated areas”, said Munir Mammadzade. With schools and health facilities destroyed and damaged, “Ukraine’s youngest citizens continue to bear the brunt of these attacks. Our heartfelt thoughts are with…
Read MoreGaza war: ‘Intense ground battles’ reported, hospital hit kills five
Airstrikes and missiles struck dwellings and public buildings on Tuesday including Al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis killing five, among them a five-day-old baby, reports indicate. “No child in the world should be killed, let alone one sheltering under the emblem of a humanitarian organisation; this has to end,” said Gemma Connell, a team leader from…
Read MoreWorld News in Brief: Food aid relief for Rohingya, 5 new Security Council members, jailing of Russian poets draws rebuke from rights expert
“The entire Rohingya population” from Myanmar will benefit, according to the UN agency, which increased the value of its monthly food voucher from $8 to $10 per person on 1 January. Until early last year vouchers were worth $12 but WFP was forced to reduce their value in March to $10 because of funding gaps.…
Read MoreINTERVIEW: AI expert warns of ‘digital colonization’ in Africa
One of 38 people members of the new UN advisory body on machine learning, Mr. Ndiaye spoke with UN News about the landscape ahead, building on his experience in helping to drive Senegal’s digital transformation in higher education, serving as an expert to the African Union in drafting the Pan-African Strategy on AI and in contributing…
Read MoreUkraine: 2024 starts with ‘loss, pain, and anguish’ amid intense Russian strikes
In a statement on Tuesday, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown strongly condemned the assaults targeting mostly cities. “For the people of Ukraine, the new year started with loss, pain, and anguish. For the third day in a row, vast aerial assaults by the Russian Federation have caused death – including several children – and destruction…
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