united nations

Turkey Submits Letter to UN Calling for Arms Embargo on Israel

Turkey's foreign ministry said Sunday it had submitted a letter to the United Nations, signed by 52 countries and two organizations, calling for a halt in arms deliveries to Israel. “We have written a joint letter calling on all countries to stop the sale of arms and ammunition to Israel. We delivered this letter, which has 54 ...

Turkey Seeks to Deepen Relations with Africa

Turkey on Sunday said it was committed to deepening relations with Africa, which it and called on to back diplomatic support for Palestinians, as it held its latest African summit in Djibouti. Turkey has invested heavily across Africa in recent years, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan carrying out 50 visits to 31 countries during his two ...

COP16 Summit Ends, No Agreement on Biodiversity Funding

The world's biggest nature conservation conference closed in Colombia on Saturday with no agreement on a roadmap to ramp up funding for species protection. With other successes under its belt, the 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) to the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was suspended by its president Susana Muhamad as ...

UN Reports Israeli Strikes on Humanitarian Structures at Jousieh Crossing

UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said an Israeli air strike hit “humanitarian structures” Saturday at a border crossing between Lebanon and Syria that was previously hit last month. The crossing, known as Jousieh on the Syrian side, became a key escape route for those fleeing the Israel-Hezbollah war after the main border crossing ...

UNIFIL Stays in Place to Prevent ‘Occupation’ of Its Positions

UN peacekeeping operations head Jean-Pierre Lacroix reaffirmed that UNIFIL peacekeepers would “remain in place” in Lebanon, warning that withdrawing from their positions could lead to them being occupied by the Israeli Army or Hezbollah. He made these remarks in an interview with the UN news service, according to a statement issued on ...

Gaza Polio Vaccinations to Resume Saturday

The World Health Organization said Friday that the necessary second round of child polio vaccinations in northern Gaza would begin on Saturday, after Israeli bombing had halted the drive. The announcement that the final phase of polio vaccination in the Gaza Strip can go ahead came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urgently called ...

UN Security Council Expresses 'Concern' over Israel's UNRWA Ban

The UN Security Council on Wednesday expressed "grave concern" over the Israeli parliament's adoption of a bill banning UNRWA, the main United Nations aid agency working with Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The Council also called on Israel to "abide by its international obligations" and "respect the privileges and immunities" of ...

Israeli Airstrike on Gaza Kills Nearly 100

An Israeli air strike on a single residential block killed nearly 100 people on Tuesday, Gaza's civil defense agency said, leaving rescuers scrambling for survivors as Israel pursued its offensives in Gaza and Lebanon. Israel's key ally and backer the United States called the strike – which killed a large number of children ...

Middle East at 'Most Dangerous Juncture' in Decades

The UN's special coordinator for Middle East peace, Tor Wennesland; warned Tuesday that the region was at its "most dangerous juncture" in decades, as the war between Israel and Iran-backed groups risked spiraling into a broader conflict. "We have now entered the second year of this horrific conflict, and the region is on the verge of yet ...

Hezbollah Rocket Injures Austrian UNIFIL Peacekeepers

United Nations peacekeepers said on Tuesday that a rocket, likely fired by Hezbollah or an affiliated group, hit its headquarters in Naqoura, in southern Lebanon, leaving some peacekeepers with minor injuries. “A rocket hit UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, setting a vehicle workshop on fire,” the force said in a statement, adding that it ...

Iran Moves to Triple Military Budget Amid Israel Tensions

Iran's government has proposed to triple its military budget, its spokeswoman said Tuesday, as tensions with arch-rival Israel rise following recent tit-for-tat missile strikes. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani outlined the move that would see "a significant increase of more than 200 percent in the country's military budget" at a news ...

International Outcry as Israel Bans UNRWA

Israel's parliament on Monday approved a bill banning the main UN aid agency for the war-devastated Gaza Strip, sparking international outcry. Despite objections from the United States and warnings from the UN Security Council, Israeli lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the bill banning the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, ...