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…

Debate at UN highlights the impact of Portugal’s ‘Carnation Revolution’

PNP DeskApril 25, 2024September 20, 2024010 mins

Named after the flowers civilians stuffed in the muzzles of the soldiers’ guns, the revolution put Portugal on the path to democracy and led to the independence of its six remaining colonies, stretching from Africa to the Pacific, with ripple effects in Brazil – independent since 1822, but under military rule from 1964 to 1985….

Rights experts urge France to protect children from sexual abuse

Gender therapy review reveals devastating impacts on teens

PNP DeskApril 25, 2024September 20, 202405 mins

The development is in line with several western European countries that have reportedly reduced access to similar gender identity treatments whose benefits were found to be “remarkably weak”, according to a National Health Service (NHS) England-commissioned review, published on 10 April by consultant paediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass. UN Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem also welcomed the…

Gaza: Heatwave brings new misery and disease risk to Rafah

PNP DeskApril 25, 2024September 20, 202404 mins

The warning from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, came as some 1.2 million people continued to shelter in tents pitched in and around the enclave’s southernmost city, Rafah, with nowhere else to go. “It is like living in a greenhouse, no-one can tolerate living inside,” the UN agency said, quoting Mustafa Radwan, formerly…

Amid campus crackdowns, Gaza war triggers freedom of expression crisis

PNP DeskApril 25, 2024September 20, 202405 mins

“The Gaza crisis is truly becoming a global crisis of the freedom of expression,” said Ms. Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. “This is going to have huge repercussions for a long time to come.” Demonstrations around the world have been roundly…

Syria crisis intensifies in shadow of Gaza war

PNP DeskApril 25, 2024September 20, 202404 mins

Briefing ambassadors on the Security Council, Geir Pedersen called for a regional de-escalation, starting with an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. In addition to the regional spillover effects, he expressed deep concern over the ongoing conflict within Syria itself. “There are in fact no signs of calm in any of Syria’s theaters – only unresolved conflicts,…

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 –…

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…

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…