The unprecedented destruction of housing in Gaza hasn't been seen since World War II, the UN says
The United Nations says the world hasnโt seen anything like the unprecedented destruction of housing in Gaza since World War II, and it would take at least until 2040 to restore the homes devastated in Israelโs bombing and ground offensive if the conflict ended today.
Russia vetoes a UN resolution calling for the prevention of a dangerous nuclear arms race in space
Russia has vetoed a U.N. resolution sponsored by the United States and Japan calling on all nations to prevent a dangerous nuclear arms race in outer space, calling it โa dirty spectacleโ that cherry picks weapons of mass destruction from all other weapons that should also be banned.
UN agency helping Palestinians in Gaza seeks support against Israel's demands for its dissolution
The head of the U.N. agency that has helped millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank for decades is urging the U.N. Security Council to ensure its survival as Israel again demands its dissolution.
Russia and China veto US resolution calling for immediate cease-fire in Gaza
Russia and China have vetoed a U.S.-sponsored U.N. resolution calling for โan immediate and sustained cease-fireโ in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 million hungry Palestinians.
US defends its veto of call for Gaza cease-fire while Palestinians and others demand fighting stop
The United States defended its veto of a call for the immediate suspension of hostilities in Gaza at a U.N. meeting and again faced demands by the Palestinians and many other countries for a cease-fire now in the Israel-Hamas war โ as well as by a group of rabbis in the balcony.
UN Security Council vote on Gaza humanitarian resolution delayed again in effort to avoid US veto
U.N. Security Council members are in intense negotiations on an Arab-sponsored resolution to spur desperately needed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza during some kind of a halt in the fighting, trying to avoid another veto by the United States.
UN chief uses rare power to warn Security Council of impending 'humanitarian catastrophe' in Gaza
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has used a rarely exercised power to warn the Security Council of an impending โhumanitarian catastropheโ in Gaza and urged its members to demand an immediate cease-fire.
UN Security Council adopts resolution calling for urgent humanitarian pauses and corridors in Gaza
The U.N. Security Council has approved a resolution calling for โurgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Stripโ after four failed attempts to respond to the Israel-Hamas war.
Islamic State group still has thousands in Syria and Iraq and poses Afghan threat, UN experts say
U.N. experts say the Islamic State group still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 members across its former stronghold in Syria and Iraq and its fighters pose the most serious terrorist threat in Afghanistan today.
ICC prosecutor says he is investigating alleged new war crimes in Sudan's Darfur region
The International Criminal Court prosecutor says he is investigating alleged new war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudanโs western Darfur region during the current conflict that has killed over 3,000 and displaced more than 3 million.
UN warns its development goals for 2030 are in trouble and 575 million people will remain very poor
In a grim report, the U.N. is warning that at the current rate of global progress 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty and 84 million children wonโt be going to school in 2030 โ and it will take 286 years to reach equality between men and women.
UN nuclear chief urges Russia and Ukraine to ban attacks at Europe's largest nuclear power plant
The U_N_ nuclear chief says the world is fortunate a nuclear accident hasnโt happened in Ukraine and is asking Moscow and Kyiv to commit to preventing an attack on Europeโs largest nuclear power plant and make other pledges โto avoid the danger of a catastrophic incident.โ.
UN expert: Myanmar military imported $1 billion in weapons since 2021 coup
A new U.N. report says Myanmarโs military has imported at least $1 billion worth of weapons and related material from Russia, China and other countries since its February 2021 coup, which it has used to carry out atrocities against civilians.
Ukraine war looms over Switzerland UN presidency
Russia couldnโt escape its war against Ukraine during it highly contentious presidency of the U.N. Security Council, and the war will still loom over Switzerland as it takes over the monthlong presidency for the first time since becoming a full member of the United Nations in 2002.
UN council backs UN chief's peace effort in its first action
The U.N. Security Council has unanimously adopted its first statement since Russiaโs military action began on Feb. 24, expressing โstrong supportโ for Secretary-General Antonio Guterresโ efforts to find a peaceful solution to the โdisputeโ in Ukraine.
Samia Suluhu Hassan becomes Tanzania's first woman president
Tanzania's new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, center-right, inspects the guard of honor after being sworn in at a ceremony at State House in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Friday, March 19, 2021. Samia Suluhu Hassan made history Friday when she was sworn in as Tanzania's first female president, following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli. (AP Photo)DAR ES SALAAM โ Samia Suluhu Hassan made history Friday when she was sworn in as Tanzaniaโs first female president after the death of her controversial predecessor, John Magufuli, who denied that COVID-19 is a problem in the East African country. โPresident Magufuli defied the world, defied science, defied common sense in his approach to COVID-19 and it finally brought him down,โ said Lissu. AdAfter Magufuli selected her as his running mate in 2015, Hassan became Tanzania's first female vice president.
Death of Tanzania's Magufuli draws sorrow but ire from some
A man reads a copy of the Daily Nation morning newspaper reporting the death of neighboring Tanzania's President John Magufuli on a street in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)NAKURU โ News of the death of Tanzania's President John Magufuli drew mixed reactions; sorrow from many but bitterness from a critic who said he suffered during the president's rule which he said shrank the country's democratic space. As tributes come in from other African heads of state, Tanzania's opposition leader has been outspoken in his criticism of Magufuli. โIt's poetic justice," opposition leader Tundu Lissu said Thursday of Magufuli's death, alleging that he succumbed to COVID-19. Many Tanzanians, however, mourned Magufuli's death and praised his rule.
Tanzania's populist President John Magufuli has died at 61
President John Magufuli of Tanzania, a prominent COVID-19 skeptic whose populist rule often cast his country in a harsh international spotlight, has died aged 61 of heart failure, it was announced Wednesday, March 17, 2021 by Vice President Samia Suluhu. (AP Photo/Khalfan Said, File)NAKURU โ President John Magufuli of Tanzania, a prominent COVID-19 skeptic in Africa whose populist rule often cast his East African country in a harsh international spotlight, has died. Magufuli's death was announced on Wednesday by Vice President Samia Suluhu, who said the president died of heart failure. The president has had this illness for the past 10 years.โThe vice president said that Magufuli died at a hospital in Dar es Salaam, the Indian Ocean port that is Tanzania's largest city. John Pombe Magufuli was born on Oct. 29, 1959, in the rural area of Chato in the countryโs northwest.
Tanzania's president admits country has COVID-19 problem
FILE - In this July 11, 2020 file photo, Tanzania's President John Magufuli speaks at the national congress of his ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party in Dodoma, Tanzania. Tanzania's president John Magufuli is finally acknowledging Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021 that his country has a coronavirus problem after claiming for months that the disease had been defeated by prayer, urging citizens to take precautions and even wear face masks - but only locally made ones. (AP Photo, File)NAIROBI โ Tanzaniaโs president is finally acknowledging that his country has a coronavirus problem after claiming for months that the disease had been defeated by prayer. Populist President John Magufuli on Sunday urged citizens of the East African country to take precautions and even wear face masks โ but only locally made ones. AdTanzania has not updated its number of coronavirus infections since April as the president has insisted COVID-19 had been defeated.
Tanzania's COVID-denying leader urges prayer as cases climb
FILE - In this July 11, 2020, file photo, President John Magufuli speaks at the national congress of his ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party in Dodoma, Tanzania. (AP Photo, File)NAIROBI โ Tanzaniaโs COVID-denying president is calling on citizens for three days of prayer to defeat unnamed โrespiratory diseasesโ amid warnings that the country is seeing a deadly resurgence in infections. โMaybe we have wronged God somewhere,โ populist President John Magufuli told mourners at a funeral for his chief secretary, John Kijazi, on Friday. Speaking about the deaths of Hamad and Kijazi, Tanzaniaโs president asked the country to remain calm. โWe managed to defeat these respiratory diseases through prayer last year.
The Latest: S Korea curbing travel, gatherings for holiday
โ New Zealandโs medical regulator has approved its first coronavirus vaccine, and officials hope to begin giving shots to border workers by the end of March. Tate Reeves says heโs skeptical about a new federal effort to reduce racial disparities in coronavirus vaccination rates. ___BEIRUT โ Lebanon has broken its single-day record of coronavirus deaths with 81 as the country continued its nationwide lockdown for the third week. ___LAS VEGAS โ Nevada has recorded its deadliest month of the coronavirus pandemic in January after reporting eight additional coronavirus deaths over the weekend. Mike DeWine and his wife received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday in a procedure streamed live.
UN chief: Vaccine can't undo damage from global pandemic
(UNTV via AP)TANZANIA โ The U.N. chief warned Thursday that the social and economic impact of COVID-19 โis enormous and growingโ and said itโs foolish to believe a vaccine can undo damage from the global pandemic that will last for years or even decades. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said additional funding for the ACT-Accelerator is needed and a worthwhile investment, pointing to progress on developing vaccines โwhich gives us reason for hope." โIt is crucial that the vaccine or vaccines to address coronavirus be declared by the United Nations and by the World Health Organization as global public goods,โ he said. Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China, where COVID-19 was first identified, said vaccines โshould be for global public good and accessible and affordable for developing countries." โOur call for the vaccine to be a global public good must be loud and clear,โ Ghani said, stressing that the role of multilateral organizations in distributing vaccines โwill be critical.โThe Afghan leader said not everything about the pandemic is negative.
Tanzania's Magufuli accepts official results of reelection
DODOMA โ Tanzania's populist President John Magufuli has accepted the official certification of his victory in the East African country's election last week. Magufuli, 61, was declared the winner with 12.5 million votes, or 84% of votes cast, and is to be sworn into his second term in a ceremony on Thursday. โDuring the election there were a few challenges but generally the election was safe and peaceful,โ said Magufuli in a statement Sunday. In his first five-year term, Magufuli has been criticized for reducing democratic freedoms in Tanzania, one of Africa's most populous countries with 60 million people. Allegations include the rejection of thousands of election observers, a massive slowdown in internet and text-messaging services and ballot box stuffing.
Tanzania's opposition demands new election, mass protests
DODOMA โ Tanzania's two main opposition parties are calling for a re-run of Wednesday's election after alleging widespread fraud, and they are urging people into the streets for peaceful protests on Monday. The ruling party also secured nearly every seat in parliament, giving it the power to change the country's constitution. โWe demand the election repeated with immediate effect and the dissolving of the national electoral commission.โThe opposition has alleged widespread irregularities before and during the vote in the East African nation. They include the rejection of thousands of election observers, a massive slowdown in internet and text-messaging services and ballot box stuffing. Magufuli was declared the winner with 12.5 million votes, or 84%, while top opposition candidate Tundu Lissu received 1.9 million, or 13%.