This is Beirut

UN, Media Groups Condemn Israel’s Deadly Strike on Al Jazeera Team in Gaza

This is Beirut, 12/08 05:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Condemnations poured in from the United Nations, the EU and media rights groups Monday after an Israeli strike killed an Al Jazeera news team in Gaza, as Palestinians mourned the journalists and Israel accused one of them of being a Hamas militant. Dozens of Gazans stood amid bombed-out buildings in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City ...

Geagea Warns of Iranian Threat to Lebanon’s Sovereignty, Urges Arab and UN Action

This is Beirut, 11/08 13:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Iran Samir Geagea Hezbollah Arab League UN

Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea lambasted Iran on Monday, accusing it of posing a “direct threat” to Lebanon’s sovereignty. He cited Tehran’s recent criticism of Beirut’s plan to disarm non-state actors, including Iran’s ally Hezbollah. Geagea voiced strong support for the government’s decision taken on August 5 and 7 to ...

Gaza: Israel Approves Controversial Military Plan, International Community Reacts

This is Beirut, 08/08 16:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Israel Palestine United Kingdom UN

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday asked Israel to reconsider its plan to take control of Gaza City, which he branded as "wrong". "This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages," he said, warning that it "will only bring more bloodshed". The ...

Decision Time as Plastic Pollution Treaty Talks Begin

This is Beirut, 05/08 12:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

UN Environment Plastic Pollution Treaty

Countries will start the clock Tuesday on 10 days of talks aimed at hammering out a landmark global treaty on combating the scourge of plastic pollution. Three years of negotiations hit the wall in South Korea in December when a group of oil-producing states blocked a consensus. Since the failure in Busan, countries have been working behind ...

Rodin’s "Thinker" Submerged in Plastic as UN Talks on Pollution Open

This is Beirut, 05/08 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Arts Environment Plastic UN Switzerland Culture

A replica of Auguste Rodin's famous sculpture The Thinker outside the United Nations headquarters was slowly submerged in plastic rubbish Monday as countries gathered in a bid to finalize a global treaty on plastic pollution. The sculpture will slowly disappear under layer upon layer of bottles, toys, fishing nets and other garbage during the 10 ...

The UN: Gaza Disaster Reminiscent of Ethiopia, Biafra Famines

This is Beirut, 29/07 14:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Gaza Ethiopia Biafra UN

The UN's World Food Program warned Tuesday that the disaster unfolding in Gaza was reminiscent of last century's famines seen in Ethiopia and Biafra in Nigeria. "This is unlike anything we have seen in this century," WFP emergency director Ross Smith told reporters in Geneva. "It reminds us of previous disasters in Ethiopia or Biafra in the past ...

More Than 100 NGOs Warn 'Mass Starvation' Spreading Across Gaza

This is Beirut, 23/07 16:35 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Palestine Hamas Israel Gaza Food UN

More than 100 aid organizations and human rights groups warned on Wednesday that "mass starvation" was spreading in Gaza, as the United States said its top envoy was heading to Europe for talks on a possible ceasefire and aid corridor. Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, where ...

Hennis-Plasschaert to Security Council: Lebanon’s Window of Opportunity Will Not Last Forever

This is Beirut, 17/07 20:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert UN Security Council Lebanon Resolution 1701

During a Security Council briefing on the implementation of Resolution 1701, United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert warned that Lebanon’s opportunity to achieve tangible change and implement meaningful reform is narrowing and may soon be lost. “The current opportunity will not remain available forever,” ...

Syria says Wildfires Contained After 10 Days

This is Beirut, 13/07 14:26 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Nations Syria UN

Syria's civil defence agency on Sunday said wildfires in the country's west, which have burned vast tracts of forest and farmland and forced evacuations, had been brought under control after 10 days. In a statement on Facebook, the agency said that "with the spread of the fires halted and the fire hotspots brought under control on all fronts" on ...

The Struggle of Displaced Families in Sudan: Trapped Between War and Hunger

This is Beirut, 01/07 12:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Sudan UN Famine

After two years of war in Sudan, entire families are fleeing the fighting, only to face another deadly threat: hunger.

Lebanon Launches Agricultural Census for Reliable Data

This is Beirut, 24/06 12:55 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon UN FAO Agriculture Census Data

Lebanon’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) signed on Tuesday a new Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) to prepare for the next national agricultural census. This agreement marks the beginning of a crucial preparatory phase aimed at reviving the country’s agricultural data systems. ...

At Least 542 Killed in North Darfur in Past Three Weeks: UN

This is Beirut, 01/05 12:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

sudan conflict darfur UN rights

At least 542 civilians have been confirmed killed in Sudan's North Darfur region in the past three weeks, the United Nations said Thursday, warning the actual death toll was likely "much higher". "The horror unfolding in Sudan knows no bounds," UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement, referring to the country's ongoing civil war. Darfur ...

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