News headlines in 2023, page 35

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 17 (IPS) - As one of America’s closest allies, Israel has remained heavily dependent on the US —politically, economically, and militarily—since its creation in 1948.

US arms supplies, mostly provided gratis, are channeled via US Foreign Military Financing (FMF), Military Assistance Program (MAP) and Excess Defense Articles (EDA).

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has voiced alarm over reports of another ethnically motivated mass attack in the Darfur region of Sudan, amidst the ongoing conflict between the national army and a rival military known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Fierce hostilities continue across Gaza from the air, sea, and on the ground, the UN’s top humanitarian official told Member States on Friday, reporting that 41,000 houses have now been destroyed or severely damaged.

Severe floods in the Horn of Africa have affected tens of thousands of displaced families in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, putting lives and livelihoods at risk, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.

The conflict between ethnic armed groups and the Myanmar military has expanded to the country’s eastern and western regions, with urban areas increasingly affected by intense fighting and aerial bombardment, UN agencies have reported.

The UN health agency, WHO, on Friday issued a new warning about the desperate situation for people in Gaza, with the number of medical facilities operational “clearly not enough to support the endless needs” created by more than five weeks of hostilities.

HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, Nov 17 (IPS) - The Pacific Games, the most prestigious sporting event in the Pacific Islands region, will open in the Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific on 19 November. And it is set to shine a spotlight on the energy, hopes and aspirations of youths who comprise the majority of the country’s population.

BUENOS AIRES, Nov 16 (IPS) - People in Argentina have become accustomed to the fact that nothing costs the same today as it did the week before and they take price hikes in stride with resignation, says Mariano Cohen. "Almost nobody gets angry or complains anymore. They just don't buy something if they can't afford it," he explains in his disposable goods store in Villa Crespo, one of Buenos Aires' most commercial neighborhoods.

NAIROBI, Nov 16 (IPS) - ’Going Green’ seems to Dr Jacquline Kisato's favorite catchphrase as she passionately explains her eco-friendly sanitary towel, a product she expects will help empower women and young girls while also putting money into farmers’ pockets.

GENEVA, Switzerland, Nov 16 (IPS) - The head of the UN children’s agency said Wednesday she had witnessed “devastating” scenes on a visit to war-ravaged Gaza and urged Israel and Hamas to “stop this horror.” “What I saw and heard was devastating,” UNICEF’s executive director Catherine Russell wrote in a tweet linking to a press release on her visit.

The reason I wanted to speak to you was to outline something very specific about Gaza, of course, which is about the approach being taken and planned by the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies to provide aid to Gaza.