Gaza: ‘Humanitarian pauses’ will need coordination with the UN

Gaza: ‘Humanitarian pauses’ will need coordination with the UN

Stéphane Dujarric was responding to a journalist’s question following the White House’s announcement that Israel has agreed to halt military operations in northern Gaza to allow daily four-hour humanitarian pauses. Parties must agree “How any such halt in the fighting, and how it would work for humanitarian purposes, will need to be coordinated with the…

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Ukraine: Near-daily attacks deepen suffering

Ukraine: Near-daily attacks deepen suffering

Miroslav Jenča, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, voiced concern over the “continued, near-daily attacks” on civilians and civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine. “Thousands of civilians have been killed or injured and millions have been displaced,” he told ambassadors, adding that nearly half of the population – an estimated 17.6 million people – need life-saving assistance….

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2023 likely hottest year on record; further spike expected with El Niño

2023 likely hottest year on record; further spike expected with El Niño

That’s the message from UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which said on Wednesday that for the calendar year to date, the global mean temperature is the highest ever recorded, 1.43 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and sea ice in the Antarctic remains at record low levels. WMO expects the warming El Niño climate pattern to last…

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At Rafah crossing, Türk says both Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes

At Rafah crossing, Türk says both Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes

Volker Türk highlighted the dichotomy at the border crossing, describing it as a “lifeline” for the 2.3 million residents of Gaza over the past month, although “unjustly, outrageously thin.” But it is also “the gates to a living nightmare”, he continued, as people in Gaza “have been suffocating, under persistent bombardment, mourning their families, struggling…

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Fossil fuel producers ‘literally doubling down’, new UNEP report warns

Fossil fuel producers ‘literally doubling down’, new UNEP report warns

“The 2023 Production Gap report is a startling indictment of runaway climate carelessness,” the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message accompanying the landmark report. This hike in fuel extraction comes despite 151 national governments having pledged to achieve net-zero emissions. The latest forecasts suggest that global coal, oil, and gas demand will peak this decade, even without…

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Israel-Palestine crisis: UN humanitarians plead for ‘access, access, access’

Israel-Palestine crisis: UN humanitarians plead for ‘access, access, access’

“Every day, you think it is the worst day and then the next day is worse,” UN health agency spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said, quoting a colleague in Gaza, which remains under almost complete blockade. “Access, access, access is necessary.” 160 children killed daily The level of death and suffering is “hard to fathom”, Mr. Lindmeier…

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