united nations

International Community Reacts to Israeli Strikes in Lebanon

Several countries issued statements on Monday over Israel's recent airstrikes on various areas in Lebanon. Israel has been engaging in a series of heavy attacks on Lebanon since the past week, notably detonating communication devices of Hezbollah operatives and elimating the group's military commanders. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia ...

Erdogan Requests Meeting from Syria's Assad to Normalize Relations

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Saturday that he requested a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, in a bid to "normalize" relations between their countries. The two countries severed all official relations in 2011, following the start of the Syrian ...

UN General Assembly Votes for End of 'Unlawful' Israeli Occupation

UN member states formally demanded in a non-binding resolution Wednesday an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories within 12 months and sanctions for non-compliance. The text, which Israel said would fuel violence if adopted, is based on an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice calling Israel's occupation ...

Guterres Condemns Weaponizing of 'Civilian Objects' in Lebanon Blasts

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that civilian objects should not be weaponized, in the wake of a deadly wave of explosions across Lebanon targeting pagers used by Hezbollah. "I think it's very important that there is an effective control of civilian objects, not to weaponize civilian objects – that should be ...

UN Rights Chief Demands Accountability for Lebanon Blasts

Those responsible for a deadly wave of explosions across Lebanon targeting paging devices used by members of the Hezbollah militant group "must be held to account," the UN rights chief said on Wednesday. The Iranian-backed group accused Israel and vowed to retaliate over the explosions that killed 12 people, including two children, and wounded up ...

Gaza Humanitarian Operations Halted, Polio Outbreak Increasing

The United Nations said Monday it had been forced to halt its humanitarian operations in Gaza due to a new Israeli evacuation order for the Deir al-Balah area, a senior UN official said. "We are not operating today. As of this morning, we're not operating in Gaza," the official said, adding that since the start of the war the UN has sometimes had ...

HRW Calls on Iraq to Exhume Mass Graves to Ensure Justice

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the Iraqi government to "intensify efforts" on Tuesday, to exhume victims of the successive conflicts that have plagued the country. "To advance justice and accountability for victims and their families, the Iraqi government should intensify efforts to exhume graves, identify victims, return remains to families ...

Ethiopia Landslide Death Toll Rises to 257, Could Increase to 500

The death toll from a devastating landslide in southern Ethiopia has risen to 257, the United Nations said Thursday, warning it could increase to up to 500. The disaster occurred on Monday following heavy rains in a tiny community in a mountainous area of South Ethiopia regional state. The last toll, given by the local authority on Tuesday, was ...

US Announces Sudan Ceasefire Talks

The United States announced Tuesday that it had invited Sudan's warring sides to hold ceasefire talks next month. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington had invited Sudan's regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to start US-mediated negotiations beginning on August 14 in Switzerland. "The United States remains ...

Houthis Reach Economic Deal With Yemeni Government

Yemen's government and the Iran-backed Houthis have agreed to halt tit-for-tat banking sanctions as they wrestle for control of the country's financial institutions, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The Houthis have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since March 2015, months after they seized the capital Sanaa and most of Yemen's population ...

Russia Criticized at UN Security Council Over Ukraine Strikes

Russia came under fire at the UN Security Council on Tuesday for conducting "systemic attacks" on Ukraine's medical facilities after a wave of deadly strikes across the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky said 38 people across Ukraine were killed — including four children — and 190 were wounded in the wave of nearly 40 missiles that ...

Haiti: One Child Displaced Per Minute Due, Says UNICEF

Violence raging in troubled Haiti is forcibly displacing one child every minute, on average, with some 300,000 already affected, the United Nations children's agency warned on Monday. Displaced children account for more than half of the 600,000 people who have been forced to flee their homes due to violence, according to UNICEF, particularly in ...