World News in Brief: UK cedes sovereignty over Chagos Islands, suffering in Sudan deepens, UN releases new emergency relief funds

World News in Brief: UK cedes sovereignty over Chagos Islands, suffering in Sudan deepens, UN releases new emergency relief funds

Before granting Mauritius independence in 1968, Britain unlawfully separated the Chagos archipelago to create the British Indian Ocean Territory. In doing so, it expelled 1,500–2,000 islanders to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island, to the United States for joint military use. Under the agreement, the UK will lease the island of Diego Garcia for the […]

World News in Brief: Terror-crime link alarm, child detention in Australia, judiciary in Maldives, Protection of Civilians Week

World News in Brief: Terror-crime link alarm, child detention in Australia, judiciary in Maldives, Protection of Civilians Week

In recent years, criminal and terrorist groups have seized “every” opportunity afforded by growing instability to “entrench, expand, and escalate,” said Ghada Waly, in her opening remarks to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, in Vienna. Challenges such as human and drug trafficking, smuggling of cultural and commercial goods, and environmental crimes are […]

World News in Brief: Russia-Ukraine talks, Sudan exodus worsens, Colombia displacement rises

World News in Brief: Russia-Ukraine talks, Sudan exodus worsens, Colombia displacement rises

Delegations met in Istanbul for the first direct negotiations in three years, including on a potential ceasefire and large-scale prisoner exchange. The UN acknowledged the important role of Türkiye and the United States in facilitating the talks, said Stephanie Tremblay, a spokesperson for the global body in New York. “We hope this process will lead […]

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 […]

World News in Brief: Sudan aid update, child migrant deaths at sea, nursing shortages, invasive pest scourge

World News in Brief: Sudan aid update, child migrant deaths at sea, nursing shortages, invasive pest scourge

Port Sudan – the main entry point for humanitarian supplies and personnel into the country – came under attack for the ninth consecutive day. As the UN’s main humanitarian hub in Sudan, drone strikes on the coastal city have gravely impacted aid delivery. Nonetheless, UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) flights were able to resume on 8 […]

Guterres welcomes India-Pakistan ceasefire | UN News

Guterres welcomes India-Pakistan ceasefire | UN News

The UN chief’s statement, released on Saturday, came shortly after news broke of a decision by the two countries to de-escalate a situation that has caused widespread alarm in recent days. Tensions had been steadily raising, after a group of gunmen fired on tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April, killing at least 26 […]

World News in Brief: ‘Massive’ needs in Sudan, DR Congo aid shortfall, support for Congolese refugees and Angola cholera relief

World News in Brief: ‘Massive’ needs in Sudan, DR Congo aid shortfall, support for Congolese refugees and Angola cholera relief

The UN estimates that in the past few weeks, over 330,000 people have fled into Tawila after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched violent attacks in the Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps and in El Fasher, the regional capital.  Over 100,000 people also remain trapped in El Fasher.  ‘Massive’ humanitarian needs Since the beginning […]

World News in Brief: South Sudan urged to avoid slide to war, Türk calls on EU not to weaken landmark law, Ukraine and Mali updates

World News in Brief: South Sudan urged to avoid slide to war, Türk calls on EU not to weaken landmark law, Ukraine and Mali updates

The Quartet is calling on the country’s leaders to end hostilities and return to dialogue to fully implement the 2018 peace agreement known as the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS). South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence in 2011 but soon descended into a […]

World News in Brief: Deadly attacks in South Sudan and Ukraine, World Court rejects Sudan case, lifesaving aid in Yemen

World News in Brief: Deadly attacks in South Sudan and Ukraine, World Court rejects Sudan case, lifesaving aid in Yemen

According to the UN relief coordination office (OCHA), the hospital in Old Fangak was struck early Saturday, killing seven civilians and injuring at least 20 more. The attack also destroyed vital supplies and forced the withdrawal of aid workers, leaving the town’s population without access to critical care. “People in these areas are already battling […]

World News in Brief: Guterres on India-Pakistan tensions, eastern DR Congo update, weather boost for locusts in Africa

World News in Brief: Guterres on India-Pakistan tensions, eastern DR Congo update, weather boost for locusts in Africa

UN Secretary-General Guterres has spoken to leaders on both sides on India-Pakistan tensions. “This morning, he spoke separately by telephone with Muhammad Shebaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and he also spoke earlier in the day with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Minister for External Affairs of the Republic of India,” said […]