Tehran, Iran -- Iranian lawmakers voted Wednesday in favor of suspending cooperation with the United Nations' atomic energy watchdog, state TV said, after a 12-day war that saw Israeli and US strikes on nuclear sites. "The International Atomic Energy Agency, which refused to even marginally condemn the attack on Iran's...

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 21 people were killed and around 150 wounded by Israeli fire near an aid point in central Gaza early Tuesday, and that another 25 were killed in a separate incident in south Gaza.

UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, said the intensity of the attacks between the two sides was already triggering population movements in both countries. Such movements had already been reported from Tehran and other parts of Iran, it said, with some people crossing into neighboring countries.

Presenting the annual report at a press conference, UNCTAD chief Rebeca Grynspan said it contained a "clear and urgent" message that FDI remains weak -- with the outlook negative for this year.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that six people were killed while waiting for aid in the southern Gaza Strip and 15 others in a central area known as the Netzarim corridor, where thousands of Palestinians have gathered daily in the hope of receiving food rations.

"Israeli drones fired at the citizens. Some minutes later, Israeli tanks fired several shells at the citizens, which led to a large number of martyrs and wounded," said Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal.

Like the text blocked by Washington to protect its Israeli allies, the draft resolution before the General Assembly calls for "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire." It also demands "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages" seized during the unprecedented Hamas attack inside Israel on October 7

Growing anxiety over Trump's unilateral push to fast-track deep-sea mining in international waters shot to the surface at the opening of the UN Ocean Conference in France.

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli gunfire killed at least 31 people and wounded 176 near the aid distribution site in the southern city of Rafah.

Rome, Italy --  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released a new Cereal Supply and Demand Brief on Friday, with revised estimates for 2024 and fresh insights on cropping conditions and prospects for 2025. FAO’s latest forecast for 2025 wheat production is pegged at 795 million...

"As the complete blockade of assistance essential for survival enters its ninth week, there must be concerted international efforts to stop this humanitarian catastrophe from reaching a new, unseen level," Volker Turk said in a statement. Israel strictly controls all inflows of international aid vital for the 2.4 million Palestinians...

"To all of the civilians of the Gaza Strip staying in the areas of Beit Hanoun and Sheikh Zayed. This is a preliminary and a final warning... move west immediately toward Gaza City," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.

Jerusalem, Undefined -- By seizing large swathes of the Gaza Strip, Israel is redrawing the map of the Palestinian territory, one of the most densely populated places on Earth, making it increasingly "unlivable". On Wednesday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military has transformed vast areas representing 30 percent of...

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said two Israeli missiles hit several tents in the Al-Mawasi area of the southern city of Khan Yunis, resulting in at least 16 deaths, "most of them women and children, and 23 others were wounded". After Israel declared Al-Mawasi a safe zone in December 2023,...

Sam Rose, the senior deputy field director in Gaza for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA, highlighted the psychological shock for already traumatized children to once again find themselves beneath the bombs. This is a "massive, massive trauma for the one million children" living in the Palestinian territory, he...

Sigrid Kaag, the UN envoy for the peace process in the region, also warned against calls for Israel to annex the occupied West Bank. "The Middle East today is undergoing rapid transformation -- its scope and impact remain uncertain, but it also presents a historic opportunity," Kaag told the UN...

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories -- For 500 days since an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza Strip's deadliest war, Mohammed Abu Mursa has grappled with "humiliation, suffering and bloodshed" in his fight for survival. Abu Mursa and his family have been displaced more than a dozen times since the...

United Nations, United States - More than $53 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza and end the "humanitarian catastrophe" that has gripped the war-ravaged territory, including $20 billion in the first three years alone, the United Nations said Tuesday. The global body said in a report that a "political and...

"Vulnerable people, including at least seven infants, have died from hypothermia, and these tragic deaths underscore the urgent need for shelter and other help to get to the people of Gaza immediately,” said Amy Pope, IOM Director-General.

Gaza, Palestinian Territories -- The Israeli forces have killed at least 45,553 Palestinian civilians and injured at least 108,379 others, most of them children, since the beginning of their onslaught on the occupied territory in Oct 2023. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said today that the Israeli forces committed two...

The UN's 23-page report, "Attacks on Hospitals During the Escalation of Hostilities in Gaza," documented 136 strikes on 27 hospitals and 12 medical facilities between October 7, 2023, and June 30, 2024.

The experts called for urgent, independent and thorough investigations into alleged serious violations of international law, saying Israel's continued impunity sends a dangerous message.

Turkey's Foreign Minister warned Syria's new government to address Kurdish militancy, signaling potential intervention if unresolved with tensions rising with pro-Turkey fighters clashing against Kurdish-led forces despite a US-brokered truce.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Landmark talks on desertification are set to conclude in Saudi Arabia this week amid doubts that pledged funds will make a meaningful difference in the fight against the growing scourge. The 12-day meeting of parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), known as COP16, has...

The French president said they want to involve both European and non-European allies who are ready to move in this direction but who are waiting for France.

The resolution demanded "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" in the war between Israel and the Palestinian group, along with "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages."

Paris, France -- Global food prices rose in October to their highest level in 18 months, with a sharp increase in the cost of vegetable oil, the Food and Agriculture Organization said on Friday. The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in international prices of a basket of food...

In a fresh report, the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) detailed a raft of violations of international law. Many could amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and possibly even "genocide", it warned, demanding international efforts to prevent "atrocity crimes" and ensure accountability.

Paris, France - The world's pledges to halt humankind's destruction of nature will be put to the test when the 16th UN conference on biodiversity opens Monday in Colombia. The COP16, held in the city of Cali through November 1, is the first meeting of the international community since the adoption...

"Israel's internationally wrongful acts give rise to state responsibility, not only for Israel, but for all states," said Navi Pillay, head of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry. The commission has published a new legal position paper spelling out specific actions required following a recent advisory opinion from...

Paris, France - For supporters, biodiversity credits could unlock billions in much-needed funding for nature, but critics fear a repeat of scandals that have dogged other financial approaches to protecting the environment. Paying to safeguard tropical rainforests or compensate for habitat destruction is an area of growing interest, and trading credits...

With Israel ramping up strikes on Lebanon and Gaza, the UN warns of a potentially catastrophic regional conflict, highlighting the rising civilian toll and displacement.

Israel attacks Lebanon killing dozens and injuring more than 100 people, while Joe Biden calls Netanyahu a "liar" and Amnesty says Israel evacuation orders are "misleading" and "inadequate".

"Israel has perpetrated a concerted policy to destroy Gaza's healthcare system as part of a broader assault on Gaza," the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry said in a statement.

"Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil," said Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a statement. "This is an anti-Israel Secretary-General who lends support to terrorists, rapists, and murderers," he said.

Updating its damage assessment, the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) said very high-resolution imagery collected on September 3 and 6 showed a clear deterioration. "This analysis... shows that two-thirds of the total structures in the Gaza Strip have sustained damage," UNOSAT said.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the "International Alliance to Implement the Two-State Solution" included Arab and Islamic countries, as well as European partners, the Saudi Press Agency said, without giving details. The Gaza war has revived talk of a "two-state solution" of Israeli and Palestinian states living in peace side...

Top United Nations officials have expressed deep concerns over the violent Lebanon-Israeli situation that has resulted in the deaths of more than 500 people on the sidelines of UN General Assembly events. The European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell warned "We are almost in a full-fledged war."

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UN members adopted a blueprint for the future Sunday to tackle the myriad wars, environmental threats, and technological challenges facing humanity that were hailed by the organization as "groundbreaking" but panned by critics as unambitious. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres billed them as "landmark agreements - a step-change towards more effective, inclusive,...

Experts from the United Nations have warned that Israel might become a pariah state, and its UN membership is under question as Tel Aviv continues to commit genocide in Gaza killing more than 40,000 people since October 7, 2023. Experts also reprimanded the Western countries for double standards on Netanyahu’s...

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said late Wednesday that Israeli air strikes on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza killed six staffers from the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA). "What's happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable," Guterres said in a post on social media platform X. "Six of our @UNRWA colleagues are...

Paris, France -- The UN has published a draft on climate financing due to be presented at the COP29 in November, laying out the conflicting positions from which the main country blocs will try to clinch the next climate deal. The document, which AFP consulted Friday, is the basis for negotiating...

Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP that even he does not know exactly what is happening inside the camp, where the latest fighting appeared to be concentrated. "The Israelis are besieging the hospitals and cutting off the city from the refugee camp, which has become a military zone with...

Biden had said the first phase of the proposed roadmap would include a "full and complete ceasefire" lasting six weeks, with Israeli forces withdrawing from "all populated areas of Gaza" and some hostages freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Dawn prayers were shattered by the early morning triple air strike from Israeli warplanes, which gutted Al-Tabieen religious school and mosque in Gaza City. In the hellish aftermath, body parts were strewn around the rubble and charred, bloodied bodies slumped in the wreckage of the two-story complex.

Jerusalem: The Palestinian leadership hailed as "historic" Friday a ruling by the top UN court that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal, but the opinion drew condemnation from Israel. The office of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said it welcomed the "historic decision and demands that Israel be compelled...

The vote, which drew swift criticism from the Palestinian leadership and the international community, is largely symbolic but laid down a marker ahead of a planned address by Netanyahu to the US Congress next Wednesday. The veteran hawk has shown little interest in efforts by the US administration to broker...

Brussels, Belgium -- The European Union on Monday announced sanctions on five Israelis -- including those termed "extremist settlers" -- and three organizations for abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank and blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza. The asset freezes and visa bans are the second round of sanctions from the...

The United Nations warned that the almost nine-month-old war had "unleashed a maelstrom of human misery."