WORLD NEWS

The essentials for survival in the town which was overrun by paramilitary fighters in October have been “completely obliterated”, UN humanitarians warned on Friday. “The little that’s known at the moment about the current conditions in El Fasher is indeed beyond horrific,” said Ross Smith, Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response for the World Food Programme…

In his first interview since assuming the post in August, Chaloka Beyani reflected on the origins of his mandate, created by the UN Security Council in the wake of the genocides in Rwanda and Srebrenica, and drew sobering parallels with the crises unfolding today.  “We are seeing massive violations of international human rights law, direct attacks on civilians, and blatant…

That call came during an open debate on “Leadership for Peace,” where former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and academic Anjali Dayal pressed members to confront both the external crises facing the UN and internal constraints that have weakened its ability to act. Mr. Ban, now an emeritus member of The Elders group, warned that global conditions…

Speaking to UN News during a visit to UN Headquarters in New York, Gwyn Lewis, the UN’s interim Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar, said global attention has shifted elsewhere even as conditions inside the country continue to deteriorate. “The crisis in Myanmar is almost invisible,” she said. “There’s really a sense in country that…

The incident comes amid alarming new data from the UN’s reproductive health agency (UNFPA), showing a sharp rise in the risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth in Ukraine, which is nearing its fourth year of conflict after Russia’s full-scale invasion. “Our latest analysis shows a sharp deterioration in maternal health across Ukraine,” said Florence…

More than 4.6 million people across the country, roughly a quarter of the population, are impacted, according to local authorities.  “Partners indicate that at least 120,000 people were displaced between September and December, as water prices soar, food becomes increasingly scarce, livestock die and livelihoods collapse,” OCHA said in an update.  Additionally, more than 75,000 students nationwide have been forced to drop out of school.  Conditions…

Since the fragile October ceasefire began as phase one of the US-led peace plan, thousands of tents and hundreds of thousands of tarpaulins have been distributed.  Yet partners estimate that over one million people – around half of Gaza’s population – still urgently need shelter support. “The needs remain immense, and the harsh weather only…

Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia and Liberia have begun two-year terms as non-permanent members, replacing Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia, whose terms ended last month. They join the other five non-permanent members – Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia – who will serve through the end…

High Commissioner Volker Türk said the series of draft proposals before Israel’s Knesset raise grave concerns over discrimination, due process violations, and breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law. “When it comes to the death penalty, the United Nations is very clear, and opposes it under all circumstances,” he said. “It is profoundly difficult…

A Rutland neighbourhood in Kelowna, B.C., became the scene of an unexpected chase this week after a handyman working nearby confronted a suspected package thief, all caught on video. The incident unfolded Tuesday, shortly after a delivery van dropped off a package at a home and pulled away. Pavel Parviz, a general contractor with Woodex…