UN chief strongly condemns DPRK spy satellite launch 

UN official urges DPR Korea to halt missile activities and return to dialogue

At 10:45 PM local time on 27 May, the DPRK, also known as North Korea, conducted what it described as “the launch of reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1-1 aboard the new-type satellite carrier rocket” from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station. According to the DPRK, the launch failed “due to the air blast of the new-type satellite carrier…

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UN human rights chief sounds alarm over rising violence in Burkina Faso

UN human rights chief sounds alarm over rising violence in Burkina Faso

Allegations of responsibility point to both armed groups and State actors. “While armed groups are presumed responsible for the vast majority of incidents and victims and should be held accountable, I am also deeply disturbed that security and defence forces and their auxiliaries, the Volontaires pour la défense de la patrie, allegedly carried out wanton…

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World News in Brief: Updates on worsening crises in Gaza, South Sudan, DR Congo

World News in Brief: Updates on worsening crises in Gaza, South Sudan, DR Congo

Only three field hospitals are operating in Rafah in southern Gaza, one of which is only functioning partially, and all of these facilities are overwhelmed and undersupplied, OCHA said, with the seven-month-long war severely impacting civilians and the infrastructure they depend on for healthcare. The UN humanitarian aid agency said the Malnutrition Stabilisation Centre in…

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Top UN officials urge comprehensive approach to Syria’s protracted crisis

Top UN officials urge comprehensive approach to Syria’s protracted crisis

Martin Griffiths, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, highlighted the worsening humanitarian crisis, noting that 16.7 million people now require humanitarian assistance – the highest number since the conflict began 13 years ago.   He stressed that the situation is deteriorating year by year, with a particular emphasis on the ongoing protection crisis, as children continue…

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World News in Brief: Hunger grows in Haiti, Gaza aid blocked, World Potato Day

World News in Brief: Hunger grows in Haiti, Gaza aid blocked, World Potato Day

The World Food Programme (WFP) distributed more than 74,000 hot meals to over 15,000 displaced people in the besieged capital, Port-au-Prince, Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, told journalists at UN Headquarters on Thursday, providing an update on the gang-ravaged Caribbean nation. In addition, about 2,400 children received mental health and psychosocial support from…

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AI for Good Summit: Digital and technological divide is no longer acceptable

AI for Good Summit: Digital and technological divide is no longer acceptable

Organised by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the annual forum is the place where humans meet artificial intelligence. It is popular to the extent of being oversubscribed for attendance, with the queue to enter stretched for hundreds of metres, along one of Geneva’s biggest conference centres, and internet bandwidth barely coping with the flood of…

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Human rights experts highlight threats to journalists covering Iran

Human rights experts highlight threats to journalists covering Iran

The experts highlighted recent incidents targeting the Persian language news service Iran International, its journalists and staff, and its owner Volant Media UK Limited. Death threats and intimidation against the staff escalated into the violent stabbing of journalist Pouria Zeraati outside his home in London on 29 March. Since 2017, Iran International has faced ongoing…

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