World News in Brief: IOM warning for Sudan returnees, Nipah virus alert for India, food security in Afghanistan

They did so despite extensive damage to housing, basic services, vital infrastructure, and an uncertain future.  The highest number of returns were recorded in Khartoum State, where more than 1.3 million people have made the journey home, followed by nearby Aj Jazirah State, according to IOM’s latest data. Pockets of security IOM says the number […]

Tsunami alert highlights worth of global early warning system

Tsunami alert highlights worth of global early warning system

While the UN-backed International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that there had been no damage to Japan’s nuclear facilities after an 8.8 magnitude quake was recorded off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, coastal communities have been taking no chances and evacuating to higher ground or moving further inland. Alerts were sent out within a few minutes of the […]

World News in Brief: Haiti funding cuts bite, civilian suffering intensifies in Myanmar, Belarus deaths in custody alert

World News in Brief: Haiti funding cuts bite, civilian suffering intensifies in Myanmar, Belarus deaths in custody alert

Ongoing violence is compounding the country’s food crisis, disrupting local food production in critical areas such as the commune of Kenscoff and the Artibonite department, often considered the breadbaskets of Haiti. While the UN and its partners are responding “wherever and whenever possible,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said this Wednesday that humanitarians have only been […]

World News in Brief: Sudan refugees, aid for Syrian returnees, MERS alert in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela urged to end secret detentions

World News in Brief: Sudan refugees, aid for Syrian returnees, MERS alert in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela urged to end secret detentions

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on Wednesday that most of the new arrivals are women and children. Many have come from Zamzam camp and the city of El Fasher, locations targeted by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who’ve been fighting forces of the military government for more than two years. In Chad, the high numbers […]

UN alert over deepening crisis in Sudan as famine spreads and violence escalates

UN alert over deepening crisis in Sudan as famine spreads and violence escalates

In a statement issued by his Spokesperson on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “appalled” by the deteriorating situation in North Darfur, where the regional capital, El Fasher, is under intense and sustained attack. The onslaught comes just two weeks after deadly assaults on the nearby Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps, where […]