Sea level rise poses ‘unthinkable’ risks for the planet, Security Council hears

Sea level rise poses ‘unthinkable’ risks for the planet, Security Council hears

“The impact of rising seas is already creating new sources of instability and conflict,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who opened the meeting. Noting that some nations’ coastlines have already seen triple the average rate of sea level rise, he warned that, in the coming decades, low-lying communities – and entire countries – could disappear forever. “We would witness…

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Equality drive launched by African women leaders at landmark conference

Equality drive launched by African women leaders at landmark conference

Almost 400 women leaders from 15 African countries joined the UN-backed three-day conference, which opened on Monday, including former and current presidents. The goal is to advance progress, tackle pressing concerns and find sustainable solutions to issues affecting women and girls in South Sudan and across Africa. The conference’s theme is GuwaTaMara, meaning the strength…

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WHO reveals one-third of prisoners in Europe suffer mental health disorders

WHO reveals one-third of prisoners in Europe suffer mental health disorders

While European prisons managed adequate COVID-19 pandemic responses for inmates, concerns remain about poor mental health services, overcrowding and suicide rates, the report stated. “Prisons are embedded in communities and investments made in the health of people in prison becomes a community dividend,” said Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, regional director of the WHO regional…

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Shuttering ‘rabbit holes’ of hate: Holocaust survivors send powerful message in new documentary

Shuttering ‘rabbit holes’ of hate: Holocaust survivors send powerful message in new documentary

The six-hour-long documentary “The US and the Holocaust”, released in 2022, sheds light on the catastrophic consequences of hate speech and disinformation, and the desperate bid for freedom by millions of Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. Taste of freedom What does freedom taste like? Joseph Hilsenrath, a young Jewish boy evacuated to the US during the…

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Guterres calls on countries to fully fund $397 million quake appeal for Syria

Guterres calls on countries to fully fund $397 million quake appeal for Syria

António Guterres told reporters outside the Security Council in New York that aid “must get through from all sides” and the funding would cover an initial period of three months. He said a similar appeal is being finalised for survivors across the border in Türkiye. ‘Immense’ need In the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, the United Nations…

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Tunisia: UN rights chief concerned over crackdown on opposition

Tunisia: UN rights chief concerned over crackdown on opposition

Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said that since Saturday, at least nine people have been reportedly arrested and some detained, on security and graft charges.  Among those arrested were two former judges, a lawyer, a prominent businessman, the head of a radio station and the leader of the Islamist Ennahdha political party, according to media reports.  Concern…

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Children sleep in streets, too afraid to go home after quake disaster

Children sleep in streets, too afraid to go home after quake disaster

“Even without verified numbers it’s tragically clear the number of children killed, the number of children orphaned is going to keep on rising”,” said UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder. In Türkiye, the total number of children living in the 10 provinces before the emergency was 4.6 million, and 2.5 million in Syria. Growing…

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WHO supports Equatorial Guinea in combatting country’s first-ever deadly Marburg virus outbreak

WHO supports Equatorial Guinea in combatting country’s first-ever deadly Marburg virus outbreak

The rare yet severe viral haemorrhagic fever is similar to Ebola and has a fatality rate of up to 88 per cent.   So far, there have been nine deaths and 16 suspected cases with symptoms including fever, fatigue and blood-stained vomit and diarrhoea, WHO reported on Monday. Further investigations are ongoing.  Rapid action, expert…

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