Desperation intensifies in Gaza amid uncertainty of ‘safe zones’

Desperation intensifies in Gaza amid uncertainty of ‘safe zones’

Speaking from the southern city of Rafah, Dr. Rick Peeperkorn, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, described further bloodshed after the resumption of Israeli bombing last Friday. “The situation is getting worse by the hour,” Dr. Peeperkorn told journalists in Geneva via video link. “I mean…there’s intensified bombing going on all…

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COP28: Over 60 countries pledge to slash cooling emissions amid rising temperatures

COP28: Over 60 countries pledge to slash cooling emissions amid rising temperatures

Over 60 countries signed up to a so called ‘cooling pledge’ with commitments to reduce the climate impact of the cooling sector, that could also provide “universal access to life-saving cooling, take the pressure off energy grids and save trillions of dollars by 2050.”  The cost of keeping cool The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates…

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World News in Brief: WFP ‘pauses’ north Yemen food aid, human rights and sport, Myanmar latest

World News in Brief: WFP ‘pauses’ north Yemen food aid, human rights and sport, Myanmar latest

The region has been under the control of opposition Houthi forces since the internationally recognized Government were driven out of the city in 2015. WFP said that despite negotiating with the authorities for nearly a year to provide a more limited aid programme that would reach around 6.5 million in need, versus the current 9.5…

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Renewable energy boosts safety of UN peacekeepers

Renewable energy boosts safety of UN peacekeepers

Under-Secretary-General Atul Khare was speaking at the 2023 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial conference, which opened in Accra, Ghana. Delegates from more than 85 countries are attending the two-day meeting, where day one’s discussions focused on environmental management at peacekeeping operations and deploying more women to serve under the UN flag. Greener and leaner Addressing a side…

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It’s official: July 2023 was the warmest on record, says UN weather agency WMO

UN confirms the past decade was the hottest on record ‘by a clear margin’

Marked by record breaking land and ocean temperatures, the decade between 2011-2020 saw continued rising concentrations of greenhouse gasses that “turbo charged” dramatic glacier loss and sea-level rise, according to a new report from the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO).  The report comes as the latest annual UN climate conference, COP28, reaches its midway point…

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Iraq: UN team issues latest report on terrorist atrocities

Iraq: UN team issues latest report on terrorist atrocities

Christian Ritscher, head of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh – otherwise known as the Islamic State group or ISIL – outlined to ambassadors in the Security Council on Monday a comprehensive assessment detailing heinous crimes of sexual violence perpetrated by ISIL fighters during their reign. The report was…

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