David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A summit of at least 20 nations is planned on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly this month to seek ways “to talk some sense” into China over its confrontation with the Philippines in the South China Sea, Manila’s Washington envoy said on Tuesday. “The more countries band together and give a message to China that what they’re doing is definitely not on the right side of history, then we […]
Tag: UN
UN food agency suspends staff movement in Gaza after vehicle fired on
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations World Food Programme temporarily suspended movement of its employees across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, saying at least 10 bullets struck one of its clearly marked vehicles as it approached an Israeli military checkpoint. WFP said in a statement that a convoy of two armoured vehicles received “multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach” the Wadi Gaza bridge checkpoint on Tuesday evening. Bullets hit one of […]
Humanity suffering from ‘extreme heat epidemic,’ UN chief warns
By Amélie BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS UNITED NATIONS, United States, July 25, 2024 (AFP) – Humanity is suffering from an “extreme heat epidemic,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday, calling for action to limit the impacts of heat waves intensified by climate change. “Billions of people are facing an extreme heat epidemic — wilting under increasingly deadly heat waves, with temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius around the world,” he said. “That’s 122 degrees Fahrenheit. And halfway to boiling.” […]
UN says world population to peak at 10.3 billion in the 2080s
NEW YORK (AFP) – Earth’s population will peak in the mid-2080s at around 10.3 billion people, then drop slightly to a level much lower than anticipated a decade ago, the United Nations said. The current population of 8.2 billion people will rise to that maximum over the next 60 years, then dip to 10.2 billion by the end of the century, says a report released Thursday entitled “World Population Prospects 2024.” It said the size […]
US, allies condemn N.Korea for sanctions-busting arms sales to Russia
UNITED NATIONS, United States, June 29, 2024 (AFP) – Washington and its allies challenged North Korea at the United Nations on Friday over claims Pyongyang is breaching arms control measures by supplying weapons to Russia to use in its war in Ukraine. Washington’s deputy envoy to the UN Robert Wood hit out at what he said were “unlawful arms transfers from the DPRK (North Korea) to Russia” as the two sides forge ever closer ties. […]
Philippines submits UN claim to extended continental shelf
MANILA, June 16, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippines has sought recognition from the United Nations for its claim to an extended continental shelf off the island that is closest to a hotly disputed region of the South China Sea. China claims almost the entire waterway through which trillions of dollars in ship-borne trade passes annually, and huge unexploited oil and gas deposits are believed to lie under its seabed. The sea is also important as […]
More than 1 in 4 children under age 5 face ‘severe’ food poverty: UNICEF
By Amélie BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS UNITED NATIONS, United States, June 6, 2024 (AFP) – More than one in four children under the age of five globally live in “severe” food poverty, UNICEF has warned — meaning more than 180 million are at risk of experiencing adverse impacts on their growth and development. “Severe child food poverty describes children who are surviving on severely deprived diets so they’re only consuming two or less food groups,” Harriet Torlesse, a […]
May marks 12th straight month of record global heat: EU
PARIS, June 5, 2024 (AFP) – C It is the latest red flag in a year already hit by climate extremes and rising greenhouse gas emissions, spurring fresh calls for more rapid action to limit global warming. “The global average temperature for the last 12 months (June 2023-May 2024) is the highest on record… and 1.63 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average”, EU monitor Copernicus said, referring to the period before human-caused greenhouse gas […]
Nearly 282 million people faced acute hunger in 2023: UN-led report
By Juliette MICHEL PARIS (AFP) – Food insecurity worsened around the world in 2023, with some 282 million people suffering from acute hunger due to conflicts, particularly in Gaza and Sudan, UN agencies and development groups said Wednesday. Extreme weather events and economic shocks also added to the number of those facing acute food insecurity, which grew by 24 million people compared with 2022, according to the latest global report on food crises from the […]
‘Staggering’ number of workers facing climate change-induced health hazards: UN
GENEVA, April 22, 2024 (AFP) – A large majority of workers worldwide are facing a cocktail of health hazards linked to climate change, the UN said Monday, warning that existing regulations were not equipped to offer adequate protection. “A staggering number of workers are already being exposed to climate change-related hazards in the workplace, and these figures are only likely to get worse,” the United Nations’ International Labour Organization said in a report. Agricultural workers […]
Iran tells UN Israel attack was ‘self-defense,’ had ‘no choice’
UNITED NATIONS, United States, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – Iran’s United Nations envoy told the Security Council Sunday that the Islamic republic was exercising its “inherent right to self-defense” in its unprecedented attack on Israel. “The Security Council… failed in its duty to maintain international peace and security” after Israel’s apparent strike on an Iranian consulate in Damascus earlier this month, Amir Saeid Iravani said. Therefore, Tehran “had no choice” but to respond, he […]
Middle East, world cannot ‘afford more war’: UN chief
UNITED NATIONS, United States, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned the international community Sunday against deeper descent into conflict, addressing the Security Council during a meeting over Iran’s weekend attack on Israel. “Neither the region nor the world can afford more war,” Guterres said. “The Middle East is on the brink,” he told the Security Council. “The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating […]





