united nations

Teenage girls, the first victims of HIV

Seventy percent of young people aged 15 to 19 infected with HIV in 2023 were girls, a rate that reaches 90% in sub-Saharan Africa and could undermine recent progress in the fight against the disease, UNICEF said on Friday. While the number of children and adolescents infected with HIV has been declining globally over the past decade, adolescent ...

Naïm Qassem: "We Are Victorious!" — Or Back to Square One

In his first speech following the implementation of the ceasefire with Israel, Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Naïm Qassem, framed his remarks around the theme of a "divine victory, far surpassing that of 2006." However, he defined this "victory" in negative terms, stating: "We are victorious because we have prevented Israel from eliminating the ...

Nomonde Ngema Highlights HIV Stigma on Charlize Theron’s Instagram

The announcement made on Thursday, November 28, is a noteworthy step in raising awareness about HIV stigma, with activist Nomonde Ngema set to take over Charlize Theron’s Instagram to highlight the challenges faced by people living with HIV, particularly in South Africa. This collaboration highlights the ongoing challenges faced by people living ...

Iran and Europeans Continue Discreet Talks on Nuclear

Iran, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom will "continue their diplomatic dialogue in the near future," a senior Iranian diplomat said on Friday following highly discreet talks in Geneva. "We are firmly committed to defending the interests of our people, and our preference is for dialogue and engagement," Kazem Gharibabadi, deputy to the ...

Geagea: 'Hezb Committed a Great Crime Against the Lebanese'

Head of the Lebanese Forces Party Samir Geagea accused Hezbollah of committing “a great crime” against the Lebanese, affirming that “the unity of squares theory is meaningless and doesn’t exist on the ground.” After an extraordinary meeting in Maarab on Friday, he confirmed that “Hezbollah drove Lebanon to war when the majority of the ...

EU: We Will Support LAF, UNIFIL and the Lebanese

The European Union reaffirmed its commitment to mobilizing a wide range of tools to support the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), so that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 can be “effectively and fully implemented on the ground.” The EU viewed the ceasefire agreement as “a major achievement, which the ...

Iran's Nuclear Ambitions "Threaten Us All", Says MI6 Chief

Iran's nuclear ambitions pose a major global security threat even after setbacks dealt to Hamas and Hezbollah, the UK's foreign intelligence chief said Friday. "Iran's allied militias across the Middle East have suffered serious blows," Secret Intelligence Service chief Richard Moore said in a speech in Paris. "But the regime's nuclear ambitions ...

Joumblatt: Justifications for Self-Security Are No Longer Valid

The former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Joumblatt, praised the important role played by the Lebanese army, intelligence and security services during the war, which helped deconstruct the “absurd and dangerous theories relating to self-security.” Turning to the issue of disputed land between Lebanon and Israel, ...

Social Media Giants Slam Australia Banning Under-16s

Social media giants on Friday hit out at a landmark Australian law banning them from signing up under-16s, describing it as a rush job littered with "many unanswered questions". The UN children's charity UNICEF Australia warned the law was no "silver bullet" against online harm and could push kids into "covert and unregulated" spaces online. The ...

Iran to Meet UK, France and Germany for Nuclear Talks

Iran is set to meet on Friday with France, Germany and the United Kingdom for talks on its nuclear programme after the three governments joined with the United States to have Tehran censured by the UN atomic watchdog. Last week's chiding prompted a defiant response from Tehran, but its officials have since signalled willingness to engage with ...

Le Drian's Mission: Swift Presidential Election or Negative Consequences

A French diplomatic source disclosed that the visit of French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, following the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, is aimed at pushing for the swift election of a president. Any delays in this process would reflect poorly on Lebanon in the eyes of the international community, which is closely monitoring the ...

Lebanese Army Reinforces its Presence South of the Litani River

The Lebanese Army began reinforcing its presence South of the Litani River on Wednesday, as part of its bid to extend state authority in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). This move is in line with Lebanon's commitment to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which stipulates bolstering the Lebanese ...