‘No substitute’ for UNRWA’s lifesaving work in Gaza: Senior Humanitarian Coordinator

‘No substitute’ for UNRWA’s lifesaving work in Gaza: Senior Humanitarian Coordinator

Apart from a political decision, which would have to be made by the General Assembly, “there is no way any organization can replace or substitute the tremendous capacity and the fabric of UNRWA and its ability and knowledge,” Sigrid Kaag, Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, told correspondents at a stakeout outside the Security…

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World News in Brief: Response plan for Somalia launched, mass executions in Iraq, Ukraine update, new European heat record

World News in Brief: Response plan for Somalia launched, mass executions in Iraq, Ukraine update, new European heat record

Somalia was hit by multiple shocks last year, including devastating drought, unprecedented heavy rains and flooding, and further mass displacement. Millions of people also continue to suffer from hunger and malnutrition, the UN said. The plan, launched with federal and state Governments, was launched as four million people – nearly a quarter of the population –…

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USA: Rights experts slam ‘outrageous’ execution of inmate by nitrogen gas suffocation

USA: Rights experts slam ‘outrageous’ execution of inmate by nitrogen gas suffocation

Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, was executed in the southern state of Alabama on 25 January.  He had been convicted of murder in 1988.  “Alabama’s use of Kenneth Smith as a human guinea pig to test a new method of execution amounted to unethical human experimentation and was nothing short of State-sanctioned torture,” the experts said…

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Gaza: ‘Simply not enough food’ to go around, warn UN humanitarians

Gaza: ‘Simply not enough food’ to go around, warn UN humanitarians

“There is simply not enough food,” UNRWA tweeted on social platform X, formerly Twitter, with photographs from another city slightly further north, Deir-al-Balah, showing people queuing “in the rain and cold” for relief supplies. In its latest situation update, UN aid coordination office OCHA reported heavy fighting in Khan Younis close to two hospitals: Nasser –…

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Latest Mediterranean deaths highlight need for safe migration routes

Latest Mediterranean deaths highlight need for safe migration routes

IOM underscored the need for regular migration pathways at a one-day summit in Rome hosted by Italy to boost development in Africa and curb migration flows. The A Bridge for Common Life conference represented a critical opportunity to examine “unified and sustainable mechanisms to stop further needless loss of human life on treacherous routes,” said Amy Pope, the agency’s Director…

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Peacekeepers and civilians killed during clashes in disputed Abyei region

Peacekeepers and civilians killed during clashes in disputed Abyei region

Armed youth from rival factions of the Dinka ethnic group have been battling over the location of an administrative boundary in the oil-rich region, claimed by both countries, according to media reports. The UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) reported that clashes erupted on Saturday in the Nyinkuac, Majbong and Khadian areas, leading to…

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World News in Brief: Progress on transfats, Ukraine war update, General Assembly President in China

World News in Brief: Progress on transfats, Ukraine war update, General Assembly President in China

Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand have received the first-ever WHO certificates for demonstrating that they have a best practice policy for industrially produced trans-fatty acids (iTFA) elimination in effect, supported by adequate monitoring and enforcement systems. Trans fats are industrially produced or naturally occurring, and both are linked to an increased risk of…

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