united nations

Nigeria: At Least 95 Bandits Killed in Military Operation Amid Expanding Conflict

Nigerian troops killed at least 95 members of an armed criminal gang in a shootout and airstrikes earlier this week, according to a situation report shared with the UN and seen by AFP on Thursday. Armed gangs known as "bandits" have taken root across Nigeria's rural hinterlands amid poverty and government neglect. They raid, loot, burn villages, ...

UN Report Calls for Urgent, Coordinated Recovery Plan to Avert Lebanon’s Collapse

The United Nations issued a stark warning Thursday, urging immediate and coordinated efforts to steer Lebanon away from a deepening crisis. In a newly released joint report, UN agencies outlined the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict and proposed key recovery pathways to help the country regain its footing. The report, titled “The ...

World's Top Court Paves Way for Climate Reparations

The world's highest court Wednesday declared that states are obliged under international law to tackle climate change and warned that failing to do so could open the door to reparations. In a historic statement, the International Court of Justice said climate change was an "urgent and existential threat" and countries had a legal duty to prevent ...

Israel Denies Gaza 'Mass Starvation' Accusations

Israel on Wednesday hit back at growing international criticism that it was behind chronic food shortages in Gaza, instead accusing Hamas of deliberately creating a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory. More than 100 aid and human rights groups said earlier Wednesday that "mass starvation" was spreading in the Gaza Strip, and France ...

France's Top Diplomat Calls for Foreign Press Access to Gaza

France's foreign minister urged Israel on Tuesday to allow international journalists into the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza to "bear witness" to the situation after 21 months of war. The United Nations and human rights groups say Gaza and its population of more than two million people face famine-like conditions, with near-daily deaths ...

UN Chief Urges AI Companies to Focus on Renewable Energy

The head of the United Nations called Tuesday on the surging artificial intelligence sector to prioritize sustainable energy for running power-hungry data centers. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a typical AI data center—sites where data is processed—uses the same amount of electricity as 100,000 regular homes. With AI development ...

Gaza: UN, EU Denounce Killing Civilians seeking Food Aid

The United Nations and the European Union expressed outrage at the Israeli army’s daily targeting of civilians seeking food aid in Gaza, condemning the act as 'indefensible.' The UN on Tuesday said Israeli forces have killed over 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid in Gaza since the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation ...

US Announces Leaving UN Cultural Body UNESCO

The United States on Tuesday announced it has left UNESCO, saying the UN cultural and education agency, best known for establishing world heritage sites, is biased against Israel and promotes "divisive" causes. "Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States," the State Department ...

World's Major Courts Take Growing Role in Climate Fight

The world's top court is poised to tell governments what their legal obligations are to tackle global warming, and possibly outline consequences for polluters that cause climate harm to vulnerable countries. Wednesday's highly anticipated advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice comes in the wake of landmark international decisions ...

Cross Our Heart

Lebanon faces an existential threat, warns Tom Barrack. He suggests the country could be absorbed into one of those large regional blocs the United States dreams of building for energy, commercial or security reasons. The diplomat likely had a slip of the tongue. He should have read the letter addressed in 1989 by Pope John Paul II to all Catholic ...

Sheikh Sami Abi al-Mona Urges Global Action to Halt “Massacre” in Sweida

In an impassioned open letter, Sheikh Sami Abi al-Mona, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Lebanon, has called on world leaders, the United Nations, and humanitarian organizations to immediately intervene to stop what he described as a “massacre” unfolding in the Syrian province of Sweida. Addressing “the kings, presidents, and ...