Category: Foreign

Sudan spiraling into chaos. UN agency warns 

Chaos

Khartoum, June 24, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday said Sudan continues to spiral into chaos, with the humanitarian crisis worsening.
“The lives of 800,000 people; women, children, men, the elderly and people with disabilities are hanging in the balance as bombing and shelling continues in densely populated areas.
This caused widespread and long-term harm to civilians and severely disrupted the essential services they much depend on,” the OCHA said in its latest update on Monday.
Over the past three months, it noted, up to 143,000 people may have been displaced from Al Fasher, the capital city of Sudan’s North Darfur State.
The people were displaced as a result of clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The intensifying fighting in and around Al Fasher has claimed over 300 lives, according to Ibrahim Abdullah Khatir, director-general of North Darfur State’s Health Ministry.
Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the SAF and the RSF since April 15, 2023.
According to recent estimates by the OCHA, the conflicts have so far claimed more than 15,550 lives and displaced over 8.8 million people nationwide. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

DAMI/SAF/SH

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Edited by Sarafina Christopher/Sadiya Hamza

EU extends protection rules for Ukrainians fleeing war until 2026

War

Brussels, June 25, 2024 (dpa/NAN) The European Union has extended emergency rules to shelter people who fled the war in Ukraine until at least March 4, 2026.

“Day after day, Russia terrorises the Ukrainian people with its bombing,” Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, Nicole de Moor, who led talks to prolong the rules, said in a statement.

“Those who fled from Russia’s aggression can continue to count on our solidarity,” she said.

Ukrainians, who fled to the European Union after the full-scale invasion of their country by Russia in 2022, were granted immediate protection.

The protection granted was after EU member states set up a temporary regime designed for cases of mass influxes of people.

However, the existing regime was set to end in March 2025.

The proposal was designed to avoid the lengthy national asylum-seeking procedures required to process large numbers of displaced people.

Extensions of the temporary rules were possible for up to one year.

In addition, people under temporary protection were entitled to social benefits, housing, and access to education and work permits, among other things.

The European Commission reported that almost 4.2 million Ukrainians are currently residing in the EU under these rules, with Germany hosting the most people at 1.2 million. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

MERCY/COO/AMM

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Edited by Cecilia Odey and Abiemwense Moru

Airstrike kills 13 in Israeli attack on northern Gaza

Attack

Tel Aviv, June 25, 2024 (dpa/NAN) An Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip killed at least 13 people, Palestinian media in the territory reported on Tuesday.

The Israeli army said two buildings in which militants were hiding had been hit on Monday night in the al-Shati and Daraj Tuffah refugee neighbourhoods.

Among those targeted were individuals who had been involved in the October 7 massacres and hostage-takings, the army said.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said militants were operating “inside school compounds which was used by Hamas as a shield for its terrorist activities.”

Palestinian media in Gaza said that at least 13 people were killed in the attack in al-Shati.

According to unconfirmed reports, one of them was a sister of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The IDF made no mention of Haniyeh’s sister in its statement on social media.

The IDF said air surveillance measures, precision-guided munitions and intelligence resources were used to minimize harm to civilians.

The Gaza war was triggered by the massacre of more than 1,200 people by Hamas and allied militant groups in Israel on October 7.

According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, at least 37,626 people had been killed and more than 86,000 injured in Gaza since the start of the war.

The figures did not distinguish between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

COO/HS
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Edited by Cecilia Odey/Halima Sheji

Trans fat elimination is attainable, WHO tells Member States

Fat

By Cecilia Ologunagba

New York, June 24, 2024 (NAN) UN World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed optimism that trans-fat elimination is attainable, affordable, and lifesaving.

Trans fats – or trans-fatty acids – clog arteries, increasing risk of heart attack and death.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the world and more than 278,000 deaths per year can be attributed to intake of industrially produced transfat, according to the health agency

Dr Francesco Branca, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at WHO, in a statement on Monday, urged Member States to remain committed to their journeys toward achieving goal.

A total of 53 countries had best practices policies in place for tackling industrial trans fats in food as of  2023, vastly improving the food environment for 3.7 billion people, or 46 per cent of the world’s population, according to WHO’s report.

WHO’s report published on Monday  detailed the progress made in eliminating all trans fat.

This is significant progress compared to the  2018 figure of just six per cent, or less than half a billion people, when the ambitious target to eliminate all trans fat from the global food supply by the end of 2023 was initially set by WHO.

Given their negative health effects, the current advancements made could save approximately 183,000 lives per year.

However, progress has been unequal, with the highest remaining burden concentrated in the WHO Africa and Western Pacific Regions.

The new report summarizes country actions to ban this toxic chemical and make recommendations to achieve global trans fat elimination.

Remarkable progress has been made in every region of the world towards the WHO’s goal of total elimination of industrially produced trans fats.

The chemicals are fatty acids that can be found in many fried foods, baked goods, vegetable shortening and margarine.

In 2023 alone, new best practice policies became effective in seven countries – Egypt, Mexico, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Philippines, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

In January 2024, WHO awarded five countries the Validation Certification  for progress in eliminating industrially produced trans fat: Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.

However, despite promising trends, progress has been uneven. More than four billion people around the world remain unprotected from this toxic chemical, mainly in the WHO African and Western Pacific Regions.

Implementing best practice policies in just eight additional countries would eliminate 90 per cent of the global deaths associated with this harmful ingredient.

“Beyond passing WHO-recommended best practice trans fat policies, ensuring that compliance with these policies is monitored and enforced will be critical to achieve maximized and sustained health benefits of trans fat elimination,”  Branca added.

The WHO’s new report helps to further the organisation’s efforts towards global trans fat elimination.

The report urges all countries to enact best practice policies and to better monitor and enforce these policies so that more countries may become eligible for the WHO Validation Certificate.

The WHO also calls on food manufacturers to eliminate the use of trans fats in product lines and supply chains, even where regulations are not yet in place. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

CIA/IKU

Edited by Tayo Ikujuni

UN chief condemns terror attacks in Russia’s Dagestan

Attacks

By Cecilia Ologunagba

New York, June 25, 2024 (NAN) The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has condemned terror attacks against several churches and synagogues in Russia’s mainly Muslim Dagestan region, with the death toll now rising to at least 20.

Guterres, in a statement by his Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, on Monday, conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families, the people, and the Government of Russia, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

Gunmen using automatic weapons reportedly opened fire inside a Christian Orthodox church and synagogue in the city of Derbent on Sunday evening, killing an Orthodox priest.

In what appeared to be coordinated attacks, terrorists also shot at traffic police who were on post in the city of Makhachkala, north of the Caspian Sea, and attacked another church nearby.

There were reported gun battles around the Assumption Cathedral in the city lasting for several hours. At least 15 police officers were among the dead together with four civilians.

Authorities in Dagestan said that at least six militants were also killed following the attacks, although no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The assault came just three months after an ISIL terrorist group affiliate known as ISIS-K, carried out one of the deadliest terror attacks on Russia soil in recent years, at the Crocus City Hall, in Moscow, killing more than 140.

Russian authorities said they were investigating if so-called sleeper cells were involved in coordinating the attacks, and Dagestan has reportedly declared three days of mourning. (NAN) (www.nannnews.ng)

CIA/SH

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edited by Sadiya Hamza

113 countries yet to have woman head of state, says UN women

Women
By Cecilia Ologunagba

New York, June 25, 2024 (NAN)  The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women has said 113 countries have never had a woman Head of State and only 26 are led by a woman today.

The UN Women, in a new figure on gender equality released on Monday, said women should be put first as many countries head to the polls in 2024.

The new data comes as the world celebrated the International Day for Women in Diplomacy, recognising the different ways women are breaking barriers and making a difference in the field of diplomacy.

“As many countries head to the polls this year, we all must put women first, at the pinnacle of power, where and when it matters the most,” UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.

As of  January 1, 2024, women make up less than a third of Cabinet ministers in 141 countries. In seven countries, there are no women represented in Cabinets at all. Meanwhile, only 23 per cent of Ministerial positions are held by women.

Women are also underrepresented as Permanent Representatives to the UN.

As of May 2024, women held 25 per cent of senior ambassador posts in New York, 35 per cent in Geneva, and 33.5 per cent in Vienna.

“Our work is guided by the belief that when women lead, the world is better for all people and the planet.

Women’s equal participation in governance and leadership is key to improving lives for all,” Bahous said.

According to her,  electing and appointing women in leadership positions signals strong political will for gender equality and demonstrates a collective commitment to tackling the challenges the world faces today.

“As we prepare to mark 30 years since the passage of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the world’s most progressive blueprint for advancing women’s rights, UN Women continues to work to ensure women lead and thrive in shaping and driving positive change, including through occupying the most senior positions of power”, she said.

NAN reports that in 1995 the Beijing conference built on political agreements reached at the three previous global conferences on women, and consolidated five decades of legal advances aimed at securing the equality of women with men in law and in practice.

It aimed at accelerating the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women  and at removing all the obstacles to women’s active participation in all spheres of public and private life through a full and equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-making. (NAN) (www.nannnews.ng)

CIA/SH

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edited by Sadiya Hamza