United Nations

Sweden and Netherlands Call for EU Sanctions on Israel, Hamas

Sweden and the Netherlands have urged the EU to adopt sanctions on Israel and Hamas over the war in Gaza, including suspending the EU-Israel trade deal, according to a document seen by AFP on Thursday. In a letter to European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, the Swedish and Dutch foreign ministers called for targeted sanctions on Israeli ...

Gaza at 'Breaking Point', Says UN Food Agency Chief After Visit

The head of the UN's World Food Programme warned Thursday that famine-hit Gaza is "at breaking point", appealing for the urgent revival of its network of 200 food distribution points. "Enough is enough," the WFP's executive director Cindy McCain said after visiting the besieged Palestinian territory, where Israel is pressing operations in its ...

UN Security Council to Vote Thursday on UNIFIL’s Future

The UN Security Council is set to vote Thursday on the future of the blue helmet peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon, which has faced U.S. and Israeli opposition. The Panamanian presidency of the Council announced that the session, repeatedly postponed, will be held on Thursday. Some 10,800 peacekeepers have been acting as a buffer between ...

Israel Demands UN-Backed Monitor Retract Gaza Famine Report

Israel on Wednesday called on the UN-backed hunger monitor, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC), to immediately retract a report that determined that famine was present in parts of Gaza. "Israel demands that the IPC immediately retract its fabricated report and publish a notice," the director general of ...

Iran Says Return of IAEA Inspectors not Full Resumption of Cooperation

Iran said Wednesday that the return of UN nuclear inspectors did not represent a full resumption of cooperation, which was suspended in the aftermath of June attacks by Israel and the United States. A team of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency has returned to Iran, its director general Rafael Grossi said, the first to enter ...

UN Nuclear Watchdog Chief says Inspectors 'Back in Iran'

The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog has said a team of its inspectors are "back in Iran," the first to enter since Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities this year. Iran suspended cooperation with the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency following a 12-day war with Israel in June, with Tehran pointing to the IAEA's ...

Lebanon Secures $250 Million World Bank Loan for Reconstruction

Lebanon signed a $250 million loan agreement with the World Bank on Tuesday to begin repairing infrastructure damaged by Israeli airstrikes since October 2023, marking the first step in a broader reconstruction effort. Finance Minister Yassine Jaber signed the deal with World Bank regional director Jean-Christophe Carret in Beirut, in a ceremony ...

Final Attempt to Mend Rift Before Cabinet Session

In one week, the Cabinet is scheduled to meet — unless delayed — to review an army plan implementing the government’s decision to confine all weapons to state control. The coming days promise significant developments: it includes US Senator Lindsey Graham’s visit to Beirut with envoys Morgan Ortagus and Thomas Barrack, an anticipated ...

UN Security Council to Vote on Embattled Lebanon Peacekeepers

The United Nations Security Council will vote Monday on the future of the peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, which has faced opposition from the US and Israel. The Council will consider a French-drafted compromise to keep the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed in 1978 to separate Israel and Lebanon, for another year ...

Syria President to Speak at UN General Assembly

Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, will speak at the United Nations General Assembly next month, a foreign ministry official told AFP on Monday, the first Syrian leader to do so in decades. Sharaa "will take part in the United Nations General Assembly in New York where he will deliver a speech", the official said, ...

UNIFIL Inaugurates New Clinic in Ain Ebel

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in cooperation with the Italian contingent, inaugurated a new clinic in the village of Ain Ebel, part of the Bint Jbeil District.  UNIFIL Western Sector Commander General David Colosi highlighted the importance of healthcare, stating that “healthcare today is a fundamental sector for ...

Iran, Europeans to Meet as Snapback Sanctions Loom

Iran will meet next week with Britain, France and Germany on its nuclear programme, the parties said Friday, as the European powers warned Tehran to engage swiftly to avoid snapback sanctions. The Islamic republic suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency in July in the wake of its 12-day war with Israel, citing the UN ...