News headlines in August 2024, page 17

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on Monday for an urgent de-escalation in the Middle East as tensions mount in the wake of recent deadly attacks linked to the war in Gaza, which is about to enter its 10th month.

The UN’s top human rights official on Sunday called for an immediate stop to the violence in Bangladesh, which claimed scores of lives, including those of police officers, over the weekend.

The United Nations has strongly condemned a suicide attack on a popular beachfront in the capital, Mogadishu, that claimed dozens of civilian lives.

BHUBANESWAR, India, Aug 02 (IPS) - “Daily squabbles at the lone water point in Bhubaneswar’s slums, where hundreds of households depended on this single non-potable water source, have now receded into the past,” says Aparna Khuntia, a member of a large cohort of water volunteers who have played an important enabling role in ensuring households in the eastern India city now have their own on-premises potable running tap water available all 24 hours.

MUNICH, Aug 02 (IPS) - Campaigners and experts have demanded a breakthrough HIV intervention hailed as “the closest thing to an HIV vaccine” must be made available as soon and as cheaply as possible to all who need it as its manufacturer faces protests over its pricing.

MALE, Maldives, Aug 02 (IPS) - The ocean is our lifeline, covering 70 percent of the earth’s surface, it is the source of half of the oxygen we breathe, and it absorbs 26 percent of the carbon dioxide we produce. It is home to millions of marine species, contains 97 percent of all of the water on our planet and offers humankind immense resources.?

What happens when you blend creativity, cultural heritage and economic growth?

Ten years after Dae'sh/ISIL attacked the Yazidi people of Sinjar, Iraq, killing, displacing and capturing men, women and children and destroying the 400,000-strong community, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria issued a fresh call for justice and accountability for ISIL crimes in a position paper released on Friday.

At least 32 children were killed and many more injured and detained during student protests that erupted in Bangladesh in July, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.

UN agencies warned on Friday of the high risk of the further spread of infectious diseases in Gaza, amid chronic water scarcity and no way to adequately manage waste and sewage.