News headlines
Fresh strikes on Tyre kill eight, as UN puts Lebanon destruction bill at $365 million, and rising
- UN News
Lebanon has suffered more than $365 million in damage to buildings across Beirut and Mount Lebanon since the latest escalation, according to a new UN-led assessment released on Tuesday, as fresh strikes in Tyre underscored the fragility of a ceasefire that has failed to stop the fighting.
Marking historic progress on rights for persons with disabilities, UN conference tackles critical gaps
- UN News
Historical gains have been hard-won, but much more needs to be done to advance progress in realising promises made two decades ago, said the UN chief at the opening on Tuesday of the 19th global meeting on the rights of persons with disabilities at UN Headquarters.
Palestinians face systematic abuse by Israeli settlers and Hamas alike: Independent investigators
- UN News
Palestinian civilians are trapped between escalating settler violence in the occupied West Bank and fear-based Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip, investigators appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said on Tuesday in a new report.
Security Council LIVE: Central Africa in the spotlight, including outlawed Lord's Resistance Army
- UN News
The Security Council meets this morning to discuss the situation in Central Africa, including efforts to combat the so-called Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), one of the region’s longest-running security threats, responsible for over 100,000 deaths, the UN estimates. Ambassadors have been briefed by the regional office (UNOCA) and its strategy for improving civilian protection, humanitarian access and cross-border cooperation.
Building trust and lab testing at the heart of DRC Ebola response: WHO
- UN News
In Ebola-stricken eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a massive push for early testing and contact tracing is helping to contain the virus, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
World Bank Enables Corruption in Bangladesh
- Inter Press Service
SYDNEY, June 9 (IPS) - The World Bank considers corruption a major obstacle to eradicating global poverty. The Bank officially has a zero-tolerance policy against fraud and corruption in its projects. Concerned with widespread corruption in Bangladesh, the Bank and the Government agreed on the Governance-oriented Country Assistance Strategy (GCAS) in 2006 and the Bank’s subsequent Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) ostensibly has been more selective on governance and anti-corruption (GAC) issues. Ironically, however, the Bank’s funding enables corruption. The Bank’s recent decision to advance a US$350 million loan allegedly for enhancing energy security is a glaring example.
New Geopolitics Threatens More Food Crises
- Inter Press Service
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, June 9 (IPS) - Recent geopolitical trends threaten more food crises, especially in developing countries. A new IPES-Food report urges a strategy of ‘resilient self-reliance’, proposing available opportunities to improve equity, sustainability and solidarity.
GAZA: ‘If Civilians Can Get This Close to Establishing a Humanitarian Corridor, Then Governments Can Do It’
- Inter Press Service
CIVICUS discusses the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla on its mission to bring humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza with Musa Roshdy, a humanitarian activist who took part in the flotilla.
Downfall of a Superstar
- Inter Press Service
BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 8 (IPS) - This is the downfall of a diplomatic superstar. Germany’s defeat in the election to the UN Security Council is the consequence of a foreign policy that has proven disastrous in recent times, failing to uphold either the values or the interests of the Federal Republic.
Billions Lost as Secret Financial Networks Fuel Forest Destruction in Brazil and Cameroon
- Inter Press Service
SRINAGAR, India, June 8 (IPS) - A new report has found that billions of dollars linked to illegal deforestation are flowing through global supply chains, with secrecy around land ownership and company records helping timber, soy, and beef products enter international markets unchecked.
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