Page 31 - United Nations

Israeli strikes Gaza school 'being used by Hamas'; kills 33 people

An Israeli strike early on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza killed at least 33 people, including 12 women and children, according to local health officials. The Israeli military said that Hamas militants were operating from within the school. It was the latest instance of mass casualties among Palestinians trying to find refuge as Israel expands its offensive. A day earlier, the military announced a new ground and air assault in central Gaza, pursuing Hamas militants it says have regrouped there. Troops repeatedly have swept back into parts of the Gaza Strip they have previously invaded, underscoring the resilience of the militant group despite Israel's nearly eight-month onslaught. Witnesses and hospital officials said the predawn strike hit the al-Sardi School, run by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees known by the acronym UNRWA. The school was filled with Palestinians who had fled Israeli operations and bombardment in northern Gaza, they

Fire at displacement camp in Congo leaves many families without shelter: UN

A fire at a displacement camp in eastern Congo destroyed around 50 makeshift tents, leaving dozens of families without shelter, according to the United Nations, which said the fire is believed to have started during cooking at a camp. The Muganga displaced people camp near the provincial capital Goma was hit by fire Wednesday. It had already endured bomb attacks in early May, which killed at least 18 people and injured 32 others, a U.N. spokesman said. It wasn't clear what type of explosives were used in those attacks. Most of the victims were women and children. While I was trying to empty the house of my valuables, I couldn't save my most precious items: my tokens to receive various humanitarian assistance, Anne Marie Nikuze, 60, a displaced person living in the camp with her children and grandchildren told The Associated Press. The little we had has also gone up in flames, she said. We escaped the recent bomb attacks and now, it's the fire that has struck us, Furaha Mulema Mariam

The ageism debate

India will gain from raising the retirement age

Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, Somalia set to get seats on UNSC

Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia were set to get seats on the UN Security Council in a secret ballot Thursday in the General Assembly. The 193-member world body is scheduled to vote to elect five countries to serve two-year terms on the council. The 10 non-permanent seats on the 15-member council are allotted to regional groups who usually select their candidates but sometimes can't agree on one. There are no such surprises this year. Last year, Slovenia soundly defeated Russia's close ally Belarus for the seat representing the East European regional group, a vote that reflected strong global opposition to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This time, the regional groups put forward Somalia for an African seat, Pakistan for an Asia-Pacific seat, Panama for a Latin America and Caribbean seat, and Denmark and Greece for two mainly Western seats. The five council members elected Thursday will start their terms on Jan. 1, replacing those whose two-year terms end on D

Israel's army targets 'Hamas compound' in school; media says 39 killed

Israel's military said Thursday it targeted what it called a Hamas compound inside of a school in the Gaza Strip, an attack Hamas-affiliated media there reported killed at least 39 people. Information about the strike in the Nuseirat area remained contradictory Thursday morning, and The Associated Press could not immediately independently confirm details about the strike. Hamas' al-Aqsa television broadcaster offered the death toll, without offering a source for the figures. The Israeli military said its fighter jets struck the school run by the United Nations agency providing aid to the Palestinians, known by the acronym UNRWA. The Israeli military claimed, without immediately offering evidence, that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad used the school as cover for their operations. Before the strike, a number of steps were taken to reduce the risk of harming uninvolved civilians during the strike, including conducting aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence information, the Isra

Energy firms are 'godfathers of climate chaos', should be taxed more: UN

UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres called Wednesday for a windfall tax on profits of fossil fuel companies to help pay for the fight against global warming, calling them the godfathers of climate chaos. Guterres spoke in a bid to revive the world's focus on climate change at a time when elections, inflation and conflict in places like Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan have seized the spotlight. In a speech timed for World Environment Day, the UN chief drew on new data and projections to make a case against Big Oil. The European Union's Copernicus service, a global reference for tracking world temperatures, said that last month was the hottest May ever, marking the 12th straight monthly record high. The service cited an average surface air temperature of 15.9 Celsius (60.6 Fahrenheit) last month or 1.52 degrees Celsius higher than the estimated May average before industrial times. The burning of fossil fuels oil, gas and coal is the main contributor to global warming caused by human ...

Taliban publicly flogs 63 including women accused of crimes; UN condemns it

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan on Wednesday condemned the public flogging of more than 60 people, including more than a dozen women, by the Taliban in northern Sari Pul province. At least 63 people were lashed on Tuesday by Afghanistan's de facto authorities, UNAMA said in a statement on social platform X. The U.N. office condemned corporal punishment and called for respect for international human rights obligations. Taliban's supreme court in a statement confirmed the public flogging of 63 people including 14 women who had been accused of crimes including sodomy, theft and immoral relations. They were flogged at a sports stadium. The Taliban, despite initial promises of a more moderate rule, began carrying out severe punishments in public executions, floggings and stonings shortly after coming to power again in 2021. The punishments are similar to those during the Taliban's previous rule in the late 1990s. Separate statements by the supreme court said a man

UN Chief Guterres rebukes fossil fuel supporters amid climate records

Countries should ban such advertising, he said, as many countries do for tobacco and other products that have proven harmful to human health

Maruti Suzuki set to invest Rs 450 crore for renewable energy projects

As part of its renewable energy strategy, Maruti Suzuki India has initiated operations at a biogas facility within its Manesar plant in Haryana, using its food waste and Napier grass

UN Chief congratulates India for engaging in massive democratic exercise

United N Secretary General Antonio Guterres has congratulated the people of India for engaging in the "massive exercise of democracy", his spokesperson said on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to lead the government for the third successive term following results of the 2024 general elections in the world's largest democracy. "We can't officially comment until all the voting, all the counting has been done. But we understand that the counting is still taking place. We hope to have a much more official statement once everything has been said and done, Florencia Soto Nio, Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing in response to a question on the results of the Indian elections. "We of course want to congratulate the people of India for engaging in this massive exercise of democracy as they are the largest democratic elections in the world, she said. The BJP, whose candidates had contested in the name of Modi, won or was ahead in

Public debt hits $97 trn in 2023; developing countries most affected: UN

The United Nations said Tuesday that global public debt rose to a record $97 trillion last year, with developing countries owing roughly one-third of that crimping their ability to pay for basic government services like health care, education and climate action. UN Trade and Development, formerly known as UNCTAD, said the value of money owed by governments rose by $5.6 trillion from 2022. In a report released Tuesday, the agency said that high interest payments are outstripping growth in essential public spending. In the developing world, which is home to 3.3 billion people, 1 in 3 countries spends more on paying interest than on programs in critical areas for human development such as health care, education and climate action. In 2023, public debt in developing countries hit $29 trillion, or about 30% of the total worldwide an increase from a 16% share in 2010, the UN office said. Developing countries must not be forced to choose between servicing their debt or serving their ..

US urges UNSC to support cease-fire plan in Gaza announced by Biden

The United States urged the UN Security Council on Monday to support the three-phase plan announced by President Joe Biden aimed at ending the nearly eight-month war in Gaza, freeing all hostages and sending massive aid into the devastated territory. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United States circulated a draft resolution to the 14 other council members to back the proposal for ending the conflict that began with Hamas' surprise attack in southern Israel on October 7 that killed some 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians. Numerous leaders and governments, including in the region, have endorsed this plan and we call on the Security Council to join them in calling for implementation of this deal without delay and without further conditions, she said in a statement. The brief draft resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, would welcome the May 31 deal announced by Biden and call on Hamas to accept it fully and implement its terms without delay and without ...

Thousands of children in Afghanistan affected by ongoing floods: UNICEF

Tens of thousands of children in Afghanistan remain affected by ongoing flash floods, especially in the north and west, the UN children's agency said Monday. Unusually heavy seasonal rains have been wreaking havoc on multiple parts of the country, killing hundreds of people and destroying property and crops. The UN food agency has warned that many survivors are unable to make a living. UNICEF, the UN children's agency, said the extreme weather has all of the hallmarks of an intensifying climate crisis, with some of the affected areas having experienced drought last year. The World Food Programme said the exceptionally heavy rains in Afghanistan killed more than 300 people and destroyed thousands of houses in May, mostly in the northern province of Baghlan. Survivors have been left with no homes, no land, and no source of livelihood, WFP said. UNICEF said in a statement Monday that tens of thousands of children remain affected by ongoing floods. The international community must ...

UN's permanent rep Ruchira Kamboj retires after nearly 40 years

After an illustrious career spanning over 35 years, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj, has retired, the senior diplomat said on Saturday. The first woman diplomat to occupy the prestigious position as the Ambassador of India at the UN, Kamboj who had joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1987 took to social media to bid goodbye. Thank you, Bharat, for the extraordinary years and unforgettable experiences, the 60-year-old senior diplomat signed off with this message on her X handle. Kamboj, who was the All India women's topper of the 1987 Civil Services batch and the topper of the 1987 Foreign Service batch, formally assumed the position of Permanent Representative/ Ambassador of India to New York, on August 2, 2022. A regular on social media X highlighting India's achievements at the UN, Kamboj's post announcing her retirement was met with overwhelming response by people from all walks of life former ambassadors to common citizens. A typical

15 yrs on, Tamil survivors of Lanka civil war live in fear, disempowerment

At the site of a bloody battlefield that marked the end of Sri Lanka's civil war, Singaram Soosaimuthu fishes every day with his son, casting nets and reeling them in. It is a skill he has known for much of his life and one that he had to relearn after a devastating injury. The former Tamil fighter lost both legs in 2009 as the nation's generation-long civil war drew to a close and the Tamils retreated in defeat. Making something of himself despite his injuries brought Soosaimuthu success an achievement in which he finds profound meaning. He sees his fellow ethnic Tamils in the same light: To regain their voice, they must thrive. But defeat bloody, protracted and decisive has brought Sri Lanka's minority Tamil community to a point of despair. Some parents have given up hope of ever learning the fate of the thousands of missing children. Parts of the Tamil lands are decimated, with poor infrastructure and fewer economic opportunities. Survivors have lived under surveillance for

UN votes to end Iraq's mission established after invasion toppled Saddam

The UN Security Council voted unanimously Friday to end the UN political mission in Iraq established in 2003 following the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein to coordinate post-conflict humanitarian and reconstruction efforts, and to help restore a representative government in the country. The Iraqi government asked the council in a May 8 letter to wrap up the mission by the end of 2025 and that's what the resolution does: It extends the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, known as UNAMI, for a final 19 months until December 31, 2025 when all its work will cease. The US-sponsored resolution asks Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to prepare a transition and liquidation plan in consultation with the Iraqi government by December 31, 2024 so UNAMI can start transferring its tasks and withdrawing staff and assets. The council said it supports Iraq's continuing stabilisation efforts including its ongoing fight against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida ..

Major Radhika Sen receives UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award

Major Radhika Sen is the second Indian peacekeeper to receive this award, after Major Suman Gawani in 2019

14 mn flee homes as nations fail to tackle conflict causes: UN official

The number of people fleeing their homes because of war, violence and persecution has reached 114 million and is climbing because nations have failed to tackle the causes and combatants are refusing to comply with international law, the UN refugee chief said Thursday. In a hard-hitting speech, Filippo Grandi criticized the UN Security Council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, for failing to use its voice to try to resolve conflicts from Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan to Congo, Myanmar and many other places. He also accused unnamed countries of making short-sighted foreign policy decisions, often founded on double standards, with lip service paid to compliance with the law, but little muscle flexed from the council to actually uphold it and with it peace and security. Grandi said non-compliance with international humanitarian law means that parties to conflicts increasingly everywhere, almost all of them have stopped respecting the laws of war, though

UN tribute to Iran's late Prez Raisi marred by protests, European, US snubs

The UN General Assembly's tribute to Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi was snubbed by Western and East European nations on Thursday amid protests against honouring a leader who was reviled for his crackdown on opponents. The assembly's tribute was no surprise. It is a longstanding practice that the 193-member world body holds a plenary meeting to pay tribute to the memory of a sitting head of state who dies, where all UN regional groups send representatives to speak about their life and legacy. And there were some warm tributes to Raisi, especially from African nations. But what happened Thursday that was highly unusual was that only representatives from the African, Asian-Pacific, and Latin American and Caribbean regional groups spoke. There were no remarks from the West European or East European groups, or from the United States, which normally speaks last representing the host country. The United States will not attend today's United Nations tribute event for President Raisi i

Israeli official cautions war in Gaza may extend seven more months

Despite earlier considerations for a ceasefire-for-hostages deal with Hamas, the more hawkish faction of Israel's war cabinet advocated for proceeding with the Rafah offensive