Former foreign minister Julie Bishop has been appointed by the UN Secretary-General as his special envoy for Myanmar, amid violence escalating in the country since a violent military coup three years ago. Ms Bishop, who has held a raft of cabinet positions over her decorated political career until her retirementContinue Reading
UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Monday for “silencing the guns” in Gaza in honor of the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.Guterres told reporters that Ramadan celebrates “peace, reconciliation and solidarity. Yet even though Ramadan has begun – the killing, bombing and bloodshed continue in Gaza.”HeContinue Reading
YANGON: Soldiers patrolled the deserted streets of Myanmar’s largest city Thursday, three years after a coup ended a short-lived experiment with democracy and as the embattled junta faces growing challenges to its rule. Streets and markets in commercial hub Yangon were largely empty, AFP reporters said, as opponents of theContinue Reading
Penny Wong has suggested that Australia wants to resume funding to the United Nations agency delivering aid to Gaza as soon as possible, maintaining that while recent allegations about staff were gravely serious, there are no alternatives. Australia, alongside the United States, the United Kingdom and a number of otherContinue Reading
Australia “ignored warnings” about the involvement of United Nations aid workers in Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and should not restore funding until concerns are alleviated, the Coalition says. On the weekend, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong confirmed Australia would join the US, the UK and others in pausingContinue Reading
Several key donor countries have recently announced a halt to their funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), following allegations that some of its staff were involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.Established in the aftermath of theContinue Reading
Australia is among several countries pausing aid funding for a UN group supporting Palestinians in Gaza after allegations some of its staff may have been involved in the October 7 attack on Israel. Workers at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the primary aid source of aid inContinue Reading
KAMPALA: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Sunday urged Addis Ababa and Mogadishu to open dialogue to settle their dispute over Ethiopia‘s maritime deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland.Tensions in the Horn of Africa have escalated since landlocked Ethiopia struck a deal with Somaliland on January 1 thatContinue Reading
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday denounced the UN Security Council after the United States vetoed a ceasefire resolution for Gaza, describing the international body as the ‘Israel protection council’.“Since October 7, the security council has become an Israel protection and defence council,” Erdogan said.The United States onContinue Reading
A simple and modest change to how frozen food is stored could drastically slash carbon emissions, equating to taking 3.8 million cars off the road annually. New research released today shows raising the temperature frozen food is stored and transported at from minus 18C to minus 15C would not onlyContinue Reading