News headlines in 2025, page 219

UNITED NATIONS, May 13 (IPS) - A six-page internal document, marked “STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL” on every single page – indicating restricted access to protect sensitive information-- is one of the most comprehensive “compilation of non-attributable suggestions by the UN80 Task Force” on the proposed restructuring of the world body.

No aid has entered Gaza for more than 10 weeks and every single one of the 2.1 million people there faces famine conditions, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said on Tuesday in a briefing to the Security Council in New York.

Women’s organisations operating in crisis settings are being pushed to the brink by widespread funding cuts. In a report published on Tuesday, UN Women – the UN agency for gender equality – warned that 47 per cent of these groups may be forced to close within the next six months.

The Security Council is meeting in New York to discuss the horror of Gaza, where humanitarians warn of “a critical risk of famine” and aid shipments have been blocked by Israel for over 70 days. UN relief chief Tom Fletcher briefed the Security Council, asking ambassadors if they will finally act decisively "to prevent genocide" and ensure respect for international law. He also called on Hamas to release all hostages and stop putting civilians at risk. Follow live for key updates from UN Headquarters and reports from the region. App users can follow coverage here.

The UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk has voiced concern over the recent deportation of large numbers of non-nationals from the United States, particularly to third countries.

A record 83.4 million people have been forced from their homes around the world, fuelled by an increase in disasters and conflict, the UN migration agency, IOM, said on Tuesday.

The future of peacekeeping took centre stage on Tuesday in Berlin as UN chief António Guterres urged Member States to do more to support the global body’s Blue Helmets and stave off the worst impacts of deep funding cuts.

In the aid desert of Gaza, malnourished children are dying while survivors can expect a lifetime of dire health problems, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

A UN body has found that Russia was responsible for the 17 July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine that killed all 298 people on board.

May 12 (IPS) - On April 23, India suspended the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), a 65-year-old agreement that had been a rare symbol of cooperation between India and Pakistan despite decades of hostility. The suspension came a day after militants attacked civilians in Jammu and Kashmir, a disputed region, killing 26 people, most of them Indian tourists. India accused Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism” and responded by halting the treaty. Pakistan denied involvement in the attack and called India’s move an “act of war.”