BREAKING NEWS
Middle East latest: US envoy holds talks in Lebanon on Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire proposal
Read full article: Middle East latest: US envoy holds talks in Lebanon on Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire proposalA U.S. envoy has held talks in Beirut with Lebanese officials about a possible cease-fire in the Israel-Hezbollah war.
Middle East latest: Israeli minister reports some progress toward cease-fire but Hezbollah unaware
Read full article: Middle East latest: Israeli minister reports some progress toward cease-fire but Hezbollah unawareIsrael’s new foreign minister says there has been “certain progress” in efforts to end the fighting with Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Israel-Hamas war latest: Israeli strikes kill 6 in occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials say
Read full article: Israel-Hamas war latest: Israeli strikes kill 6 in occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials sayPalestinian health officials say Israeli strikes in the occupied West Bank killed six people, including the son of a prominent jailed militant.
Israel-Hamas war latest: Israeli military says it killed 5 more militants in West Bank operation
Read full article: Israel-Hamas war latest: Israeli military says it killed 5 more militants in West Bank operationThe Israeli military says it has killed five more militants in a large-scale operation in the occupied West Bank, including a well-known local commander.
Israel-Hamas war latest: Israel's evacuation orders have displaced 90% of Gaza residents, UN says
Read full article: Israel-Hamas war latest: Israel's evacuation orders have displaced 90% of Gaza residents, UN saysThe top United Nations humanitarian official for Gaza says that successive Israeli evacuation orders have displaced 90% of the Palestinian territory's 2.1 million residents since the Israel-Hamas war began in October.
Israel-Hamas war latest: Netanyahu addresses Congress and vows to achieve 'total victory'
Read full article: Israel-Hamas war latest: Netanyahu addresses Congress and vows to achieve 'total victory'Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress in Washington as he sought to bolster U.S. support for his country's war in Gaza.
The Latest | US-built aid pier in Gaza will reopen for a few days, then be removed permanently
Read full article: The Latest | US-built aid pier in Gaza will reopen for a few days, then be removed permanentlySeveral U.S. officials say the pier built by the American military to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza will be reinstalled on the beach to be used for several days, but then the plan is to pull it out permanently.
The Latest | UN tells Israel it will pause aid work in Gaza without better safety, UN officials say
Read full article: The Latest | UN tells Israel it will pause aid work in Gaza without better safety, UN officials sayThe United Nations has told Israel it will suspend aid operations across Gaza unless urgent steps are taken to better protect humanitarian workers.
UN investigators probe 14 Gaza aid staffers Israel had tied to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack
Read full article: UN investigators probe 14 Gaza aid staffers Israel had tied to Hamas' Oct. 7 attackU.N. investigators are looking into allegations against 14 of the 19 staffers from the U.N. relief agency for Palestinians who Israel claims were involved in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants that spurred the latest war in Gaza.
Burkina Faso's army massacred over 200 civilians in a village raid, Human Rights Watch says
Read full article: Burkina Faso's army massacred over 200 civilians in a village raid, Human Rights Watch saysHuman Rights Watch says military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 civilians, including babies and many children, in attacks on two villages accused of cooperating with militants.
UN calls for investigation into mass graves uncovered at two Gaza hospitals raided by Israel
Read full article: UN calls for investigation into mass graves uncovered at two Gaza hospitals raided by IsraelThe United Nations is calling for “a clear, transparent and credible investigation” of mass graves uncovered at two major hospitals in war-torn Gaza that were raided by Israeli troops.
Haiti's surge in gang violence has led more than 53,000 to flee the capital in less than three weeks
Read full article: Haiti's surge in gang violence has led more than 53,000 to flee the capital in less than three weeksMore than 53,000 people have fled Haiti’s capital in less than three weeks as deadly gang violence continues.
Live updates | Israeli military rescues 2 hostages in Rafah operation that killed 67 Palestinians
Read full article: Live updates | Israeli military rescues 2 hostages in Rafah operation that killed 67 PalestiniansThe Israeli military has rescued two hostages from the Gaza Strip early in a dramatic operation that Palestinian hospital officials say also killed at least 67 Palestinians in airstrikes.
Palestinians hope a vote in the UN General Assembly will show wide support for a Gaza cease-fire
Read full article: Palestinians hope a vote in the UN General Assembly will show wide support for a Gaza cease-fireThe Palestinians are hoping that a vote in the U.N. General Assembly on a nonbinding resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire will demonstrate widespread global support for ending the Israel-Hamas war.
UN chief uses rare power to warn Security Council of impending 'humanitarian catastrophe' in Gaza
Read full article: UN chief uses rare power to warn Security Council of impending 'humanitarian catastrophe' in GazaU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has used a rarely exercised power to warn the Security Council of an impending “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and urged its members to demand an immediate cease-fire.
Live updates | Hundreds of foreign citizens and dozens of injured allowed to flee Gaza
Read full article: Live updates | Hundreds of foreign citizens and dozens of injured allowed to flee GazaHundreds of foreign nationals and several seriously injured Palestinians are being allowed to leave Gaza for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war began more than three weeks ago.
Ukraine pushes to extend wartime grain deal at talks with Russia, Turkey and U.N.
Read full article: Ukraine pushes to extend wartime grain deal at talks with Russia, Turkey and U.N.The Ukrainian government is seeking to extend a wartime deal that allowed the country’s grain to get to nations in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
UN draft urges Afghan rulers to reverse bans on women, girls
Read full article: UN draft urges Afghan rulers to reverse bans on women, girlsA U.N. resolution that calls on Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to swiftly reverse their increasingly harsh restrictions on women and girls and condemns their ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations is set to be voted on Thursday by the Security Council.
UN: 3,300 Afghan staff stay home over Taliban ban on women
Read full article: UN: 3,300 Afghan staff stay home over Taliban ban on womenThe United Nations says the 3,330 Afghan men and women it employs stayed home for a second day to protest the Taliban’s ban on U.N. female staff working in the country, as it continued to press for the decision to be reversed.
UN appeals for $397 million to help Syrian quake survivors
Read full article: UN appeals for $397 million to help Syrian quake survivorsThe United Nations chief has launched a $397 million appeal to help nearly 5 million survivors of last week’s devastating earthquake in rebel-held northwest Syria who have received very little assistance.
UN says Syria agrees to open 2 new crossings for quake aid
Read full article: UN says Syria agrees to open 2 new crossings for quake aidThe United Nations says Syria’s president has agreed to open two new crossing points from Turkey to the country’s rebel-held northwest to deliver desperately needed aid and equipment for millions of earthquake victims.
No more Turkey: Country in push to be known as 'Türkiye'
Read full article: No more Turkey: Country in push to be known as 'Türkiye'Turkey's state-run news agency says Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has sent a letter to the United Nations formally requesting that his country be referred to as “Türkiye.”.
UN says over 3 million in Myanmar need "life-saving" aid
Read full article: UN says over 3 million in Myanmar need "life-saving" aidThe U.N. humanitarian chief is urging Myanmar’s military leaders to provide unimpeded access to the more than 3 million people in need of “life-saving" humanitarian assistance since government forces seized power on Feb. 1.
The Latest: UN crowds return but still lag pre-COVID times
Read full article: The Latest: UN crowds return but still lag pre-COVID timesThe part-virtual, partly in-person U.N. General Assembly meeting is again drawing people to the world body’s headquarters a year after going remote because of the coronavirus pandemic.
UN calls Myanmar military actions moves away from democracy
Read full article: UN calls Myanmar military actions moves away from democracyThe United Nations is calling the Myanmar military’s extension of the state of emergency and election delay moves in the wrong direction from international calls for the restoration of democracy.
UN official: Key committee says 350,000 in famine in Tigray
Read full article: UN official: Key committee says 350,000 in famine in TigrayA high-level committee that focuses on rapid responses to humanitarian crises estimates that some 350,000 people in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region are in famine conditions.
ASEAN envoys meet Myanmar junta leader to press for dialogue
Read full article: ASEAN envoys meet Myanmar junta leader to press for dialogueRepresentatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have met with Myanmar’s junta leader six weeks after an emergency regional summit on the coup in the country drew promises of progress toward a solution but produced no tangible results.
UN says no international staff left in North Korea
Read full article: UN says no international staff left in North KoreaA U.N. spokesman said the world body has been left with no international staff in North Korea and its North Korean employees are working remotely. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin, File)SEOUL – A U.N. spokesman said the world body in North Korea has been left with no international staff, who are now working remotely. AdDujarric said that WFP operations will be handled by local staff in Pyongyang and international staff working remotely. Several U.N. agencies including WFP, WHO and UNICEF have offices in North Korea. North Korea has about 26 million people.
Who is Myanmar's UN envoy? Coup opponent or representative
Read full article: Who is Myanmar's UN envoy? Coup opponent or representative(UNTV via AP)CAMEROON – Myanmar’s U.N. ambassador, who strongly opposed the military coup in his country, insists he remains the permanent representative to the United Nations, but the foreign ministry has informed the U.N. that the ambassador has been terminated and his deputy is now in charge. The dispute over who is recognized as Myanmar’s ambassador -- the representative of the generals who carried out the Feb. 1 coup or of the ousted democratically elected government -- is under discussion and could end up in the General Assembly, where all 193 U.N. members have seats. “I wish therefore to confirm to you that I remain Myanmar’s permanent representative to the United Nations.”The second letter to the secretary-general from Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which Dujarric said was received Tuesday, makes no mention of the coup. AdThe ministry said Myanmar’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Tin Maung Naing, has been assigned as the charge d’affaires of the U.N. mission. The General Assembly meeting was called to hear a briefing from the U.N. special envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, who said it is time to “sound the alarm” about the coup.
Aid agencies fear impact in Yemen after US terror decision
Read full article: Aid agencies fear impact in Yemen after US terror decisionMost of its 30 million people rely on international aid to survive. Aid agencies said Monday they were struggling to figure out the implications of the designation, which would bring sanctions against the Houthis. Those include special U.S Treasury licenses to allow U.S. aid to continue flowing and aid agencies to continue working. Still, aid groups said the impact could be disastrous. That will cripple aid agencies and NGOs, which must use the banks to move funds, pay salaries and keep operations running.
Ethiopia warns Tigray residents that 'anything can happen'
Read full article: Ethiopia warns Tigray residents that 'anything can happen'Tigray refugees who fled a conflict in the Ethiopia's Tigray region, run at Village 8, the transit centre near the Lugdi border crossing, eastern Sudan, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020. Ethiopia's government again rejected international pleas for dialogue with the TPLF leaders, regarding them as criminals on the run. He also called for “free, safe and unhindered humanitarian access” to the Tigray region, which remains almost completely sealed off from the world with communications severed, roads blocked and airports closed. A humanitarian disaster is unfolding both inside and outside the Tigray region. Food, fuel and medical and other supplies are running desperately low in the Tigray region and the U.N. says around 2 million people there urgently need aid.
UN chief vows to do utmost to keep Western Sahara cease-fire
Read full article: UN chief vows to do utmost to keep Western Sahara cease-fireFILE - In this May 20 2008 file photo, pro-independence Polisario Front rebel soldiers prepare tea in the Western Sahara region of Tifariti. The Moroccan military has intervened in a U.N.-patrolled border zone in the disputed Western Sahara to clear a key road it said was being blockaded for weeks by supporters of the pro-independence Polisario Front. A Polisario envoy accused the Moroccan military of firing at innocent protesters and said that led to clashes Friday between Moroccan and Polisario forces. Morocco annexed Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony believed to have considerable offshore oil deposits and mineral resources, in 1975. Morocco has proposed wide-ranging autonomy for Western Sahara.
The Latest: Hong Kong, Singapore plan 'air travel bubble'
Read full article: The Latest: Hong Kong, Singapore plan 'air travel bubble'Hong Kong and Singapore say they have agreed to a bilateral air travel bubble, re-establishing travel links as coronavirus infections in both cities decline. -- Maryland will reduce indoor operations for bars and restaurants from 75% to 50% in response to rising coronavirus cases and increased hospitalizations. Maryland also reported 1,338 new coronavirus cases Tuesday — the seventh straight day of at least 1,000 cases. ___WASHINGTON — The U.S. has surpassed 1 million new confirmed coronavirus cases since the start of November. The El Paso County sheriff’s office says two of the employees were hospitalized over the weekend as coronavirus cases surged at the facility.
UN: Nuclear weapons ban treaty to enter into force
Read full article: UN: Nuclear weapons ban treaty to enter into force“The United Nations was formed to promote peace with a goal of the abolition of nuclear weapons,” Fihn said. It says the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, known as the TPNW, “turns back the clock on verification and disarmament and is dangerous” to the half-century-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, considered the cornerstone of global nonproliferation efforts. “It would be unfortunate if the TPNW were allowed to derail our ability to work together to address pressing proliferation.”Fihn has stressed that “the nonproliferation Treaty is about preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and eliminating nuclear weapons, and this treaty implements that. There’s no way you can undermine the Nonproliferation Treaty by banning nuclear weapons. Secretary-General Guterres said in an Associated Press interview on Wednesday: “It is clear for me that we will only be entirely safe in relation to nuclear weapons the day where nuclear weapons no longer exist.
Donors pledge $1.7 billion for Burkina Faso, Mail and Niger
Read full article: Donors pledge $1.7 billion for Burkina Faso, Mail and NigerFile-This June 4, 2020, file photo shows Women and children walk in a makeshift site for displaced people in Kongoussi, Burkina Faso. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the funds will help some 10 million people in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger for the remainder of this year and through next year with nutrition, food, health services, water and sanitation, shelter, education, protection and support to survivors of gender-based violence. Both Guterres and Lowcock appealed for $2.4 billion to cover the remaining months of 2020 and 2021. U.N. spokesman Dujarric said donors pledged $985 million for this year and $704 million for 2021 and beyond. The United States was next pledging $274.8 million followed by Denmark with $183.1 million, the European Union with $122.8 million and Germany with $118.2 million.
UN chief shocked at Libya mass graves in recently freed town
Read full article: UN chief shocked at Libya mass graves in recently freed townTANZANIA U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep shock late Friday at the discovery of mass graves in Libyan territory recently recaptured from forces commanded by Khalifa Hifter, and called for a transparent investigation. The U.N. chief also called on Libyas U.N.-supported government to secure the mass graves, identify the victims, establish the causes of death and return the bodies to next of kin. The discoveries have raised fears about the extent of human rights violations in territories controlled by Hifters forces, given the difficulties of documentation in an active war zone. Philippe Nassif, Amnesty Internationals director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the group was working to verify the mass killings. Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed.