World News in Brief: ‘Outrage’ over Black Sea attack, funding pledge to alleviate El Niño, breast cancer alert

World News in Brief: ‘Outrage’ over Black Sea attack, funding pledge to alleviate El Niño, breast cancer alert

Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown said in a statement that Wednesday’s attack came on the heels of a series of assaults that killed and inured civilians, destroyed grain supplies and damaged the historic Fine Arts Museum in the Ukrainian port city. “I share my condolences with the family of the killed port pilot and hope for…

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Five judges elected to United Nations’ top court

Five judges elected to United Nations’ top court

In parallel and independent voting conducted by secret ballot, the Assembly and the Council re-elected one judge who is currently serving, Hilary Charlesworth of Australia. Another justice currently on the bench, Kirill Gevorgian of Russia, was not successful in securing another term.   Four new justices were elected: Bogdan-Lucian Aurescu (Romania); Sarah Hull Cleveland (United…

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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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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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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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