Sudan catastrophe must not be allowed to continue: UN rights chief Türk

World News in Brief: ‘Barbaric’ sexual violence in Sudan, Haiti’s transitional council in place, rights experts condemn Iran rapper’s death sentence

PNP DeskApril 25, 2024September 20, 202407 mins

Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten together with Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya, said that more than a year into the battle for control of the country between rival militaries, the “barbaric acts” being committed “echo the horrors witnessed in Darfur two decades ago”. They urged Security Council members who met…

Teen alcohol and nicotine use in Europe is up, WHO urges preventive measures

PNP DeskApril 25, 2024September 20, 202404 mins

Data covering all three areas revealed that more than one in two 15-year-olds experimented with alcohol, while one in five teenagers recently used e-cigarettes, the UN health agency said, in a call for urgent preventive measures. “The widespread use of harmful substances among children in many countries across the European Region – and beyond –…

New global campaign boosts lifesaving vaccines

PNP DeskApril 24, 2024September 20, 202407 mins

The Humanly Possible joint global communication campaign aims to boost vaccination programmes around the world, with support from the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). “Thanks to vaccinations, more children now survive and thrive past their fifth birthday than at any other point in history,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine…

UN migration agency assists survivors of deadly shipwreck off Djibouti

PNP DeskApril 24, 2024September 20, 202403 mins

The migrants were on a boat carrying at least 77 people from Ras al-Ara off Yemen’s coast which capsized off the coast of Djibouti, near Obock, leaving 24 dead and 20 others missing. Just two weeks ago, a similar accident, resulting in the death of at least 38 migrants, occurred. “The occurrence of two such…

Russia vetoes Security Council draft resolution on a weapon-free outer space

PNP DeskApril 24, 2024September 20, 202402 mins

The Security Council rejected the draft resolution, introduced by Japan and the United States, by a vote of 13 in favour to one against, with one abstention (China), that would have had the 15-member organ call on “all States, in particular those with major space capabilities, to contribute actively to the objective of the peaceful…

UN coordinator in Gaza announces new plan to deliver lifesaving aid

PNP DeskApril 24, 2024September 20, 2024016 mins

“The operationalisation of the mechanism will allow for pipeline prioritisation, predictability, visibility and tracking of supplies to Gaza,” she told ambassadors. The new plan stemmed from Security Council resolution 2720, adopted in December, which established Ms. Kaag’s position and requested her to forge a UN mechanism to accelerate aid deliveries into the war-torn enclave, which now faces…

Polluting rivers, beaches and the ocean: How can Trinidad solve its plastics problem?

PNP DeskApril 24, 2024September 20, 2024013 mins

The Maraval river winds its way through Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad & Tobago, reaching the sea at Invaders Bay, the evocative name of the site where British troops landed in the late 18th Century. Today, the area is heavily built up, and construction has begun on a large-scale project that is expected…

UNRWA seeks $1.2 billion to meet urgent needs in Gaza and the West Bank

PNP DeskApril 24, 2024September 20, 202403 mins

The funding will cover humanitarian response through the end of the year, with the goal of meeting the most urgent needs of 1.7 million people in war-ravaged Gaza and more than 200,000 Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Lifeline for millions “The scars of war are seen on a massive scale in…

Latest hunger data spotlights extent of famine risk in Gaza, Sudan and beyond

PNP DeskApril 24, 2024September 20, 202401 mins

Dangerous levels of acute hunger affected a staggering 281.6 million people last year – the fifth year in a row that food insecurity has worsened – heightening growing fears of famine and “widespread death” from Gaza to Sudan and beyond, UN agencies warned on Wednesday. PNP Deskpnp.com.pk

From Dominica to Vogue: Big dreams on a small island

PNP DeskApril 23, 2024September 20, 202408 mins

Small island developing States (SIDS) often benefit from good weather, sandy beaches and lush countryside, attracting large numbers of tourists, particularly from the United States and Europe, seeking to escape the gloomy winter months. But, growing up in these countries can be hard: opportunities are few and far between, and youth unemployment is high, with…