Deadly shipwreck in Italy must trigger action to save lives, UN officials say

World News in Brief: UN supporting East Africa flood victims, dozens more migrant deaths at sea, disinformation in Myanmar

In a statement released late on Wednesday the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he had been deeply distressed to hear of the hundreds of lives lost and many others affected by the deluge in Kenya as well as Burundi, Somalia, Tanzania and other parts of East Africa. He extended his condolences to the Governments and…

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Hope grows for UN mission to ‘flood’ Gaza with food, despite fears of imminent Rafah invasion

Hope grows for UN mission to ‘flood’ Gaza with food, despite fears of imminent Rafah invasion

That’s according to the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jamie McGoldrick, speaking in-depth to UN News exactly six months since hostilities began with the Hamas-led terror attack. He underlined that the entire UN aid effort is about saving lives “and nothing else.” The veteran humanitarian was speaking as the Israeli defence forces said…

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Ukraine: IAEA chief slams ‘complacency’ over stricken Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant

World News in Brief: Ukraine nuclear power plant update, DR Congo flood response, impact of US terrorism designations

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi took stock of the safety and security situation at the plant as part of ongoing efforts to help prevent a nuclear accident during the ongoing war. Russian forces seized control of ZNPP – Europe’s largest nuclear plant – shortly after the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly…

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World News in Brief: ICJ to release emergency measures over Israel genocide allegations, Libya flood repair bill, leprosy stigma continues

World News in Brief: ICJ to release emergency measures over Israel genocide allegations, Libya flood repair bill, leprosy stigma continues

Since 7 October when Israel launched its military campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the militant group’s terror attacks in southern Israel that left some 1,200 dead and more than 250 taken hostage, Gaza health authorities have reported at least 25,700 killed and some 63,740 injured. In its case, which began earlier this month in…

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World News in Brief: Congo flood response, tourism bounces back, alert over Sudan’s ancient pyramids

World News in Brief: Congo flood response, tourism bounces back, alert over Sudan’s ancient pyramids

Some 1.8 million people have been impacted by torrential downpours that have dumped double the usual amount of rainfall on the Congo, impacting nine out of the country’s 12 departments. In the three weeks since the government in Brazzaville declared an emergency, the floods have destroyed or damaged 34 health facilities, 120 schools and over…

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World News in Brief: COVID risk still high worldwide, massive Congo flood displacement, concern over Sri Lanka drugs crackdown

World News in Brief: COVID risk still high worldwide, massive Congo flood displacement, concern over Sri Lanka drugs crackdown

The virus is still circulating globally but relatively few countries are following infections closely, meaning the actual threat due to the coronavirus and its variants could be anything from two to 19 times higher than what is being reported to WHO. The agency’s COVID focal point, Dr Maria Van Kerhove, told journalists in Geneva that…

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Libya: Mission chief updates Security Council on flood disaster ‘beyond imagination’

Libya: Mission chief updates Security Council on flood disaster ‘beyond imagination’

Briefing the Security Council, Abdoulaye Bathily noted the thousands of lives lost by the dam bursts which destroyed whole neighbourhoods after Storm Daniel slammed the region on 10 September.  The Special Representative told ambassadors that despite the sense of national unity and compassion shown by ordinary Libyans, the disaster had revealed “severe governance deficits” across…

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Flood protection is possible

Flood protection is possible

The effects of climate change (global warming) have been gradually affecting the entire world for the past decade. Hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, heavy rains and floods are wreaking havoc in every region. For the past several decades, scientists in developed countries were constantly predicting the occurrence of such tragedies. That is why these countries adapted…

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Pakistan: Flood waters have gone but horror continues for children, UNICEF warns

Pakistan: Flood waters have gone but horror continues for children, UNICEF warns

Speaking one year on from the unprecedented disaster, Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, noted new challenges for about four million children living without safe water in flood-affected areas. “Vulnerable children living in flood-affected areas have endured a horrific year. They lost their loved ones, homes and schools. As the monsoon rains return, the fear…

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