SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Ambassadors debate safety of civilians with 36,000 lives lost during conflict last year

SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Ambassadors debate safety of civilians with 36,000 lives lost during conflict last year

We’re live as the Security Council convenes for its annual open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, with briefings from UN relief chief Tom Fletcher and the head of UN Women Sima Bahous. Ambassadors will discuss evolving threats, including use of heavy weapons and the rise of lethal autonomous killing machines such […]

90 days to economic collapse: UN and experts sound alarm over security at sea

90 days to economic collapse: UN and experts sound alarm over security at sea

Addressing a high-level debate of the Security Council, António Guterres said that oceans and seas are “sending a clear SOS,” as maritime spaces face escalating pressure from both traditional threats and new dangers – including piracy, armed robbery, trafficking, terrorism, cyberattacks and territorial disputes. “From time immemorial, maritime routes have bound the world together,” he […]

Gaza: Starvation looms for one in five people, say food security experts

Gaza: Starvation looms for one in five people, say food security experts

“Goods indispensable for people’s survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks…The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity,” said the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) platform. In its latest update, the IPC estimated that one in five people in Gaza – 500,000 – faces starvation. Prices have […]

UN Security Council extends South Sudan mission amid rising instability

UN Security Council extends South Sudan mission amid rising instability

Introduced by the United States and supported by 11 other Council members, the resolution extended the mandate of UNMISS until 30 April next year. This action follows a short nine-day “technical rollover” approved by the Council on 30 April to allow more time for negotiations. Through the text – adopted on Thursday – the Security […]

Security Council urged to stand firm as Bosnia and Herzegovina faces deepening crisis

Security Council urged to stand firm as Bosnia and Herzegovina faces deepening crisis

High Representative Christian Schmidt briefed on latest developments surrounding implementation of the 1995 General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ended more than three years of bloodshed and genocide following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. The accord, also known as the Dayton Peace Agreement, established a new constitution and created two […]

Anthrax outbreak compounds security crisis in eastern DR Congo

Anthrax outbreak compounds security crisis in eastern DR Congo

And with nearly seven million people forcibly displaced by violence since advances by M23 rebels earlier this year, the DRC is facing one of the world’s most complex displacement crises, according to the UN migration agency (IOM). Living in overcrowded and under-resourced camps, displaced populations are increasingly vulnerable to both disease and attack. Since January […]

UN Security Council condemns Jammu and Kashmir terror attack

UN Security Council condemns Jammu and Kashmir terror attack

In a press statement issued on Friday, Council members expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the Governments of India and Nepal. They also extended wishes for a speedy and full recovery to those injured in Tuesday’s attack in which a group of gunmen fired on […]

Security Council debates precarious path forward for a new Syria

Security Council debates precarious path forward for a new Syria

Four and a half months after the fall of the Assad regime, the interim authorities have begun taking formal steps towards political reform, the Security Council heard on Friday. These include the formation of a broader, more diverse cabinet and initial plans to establish an interim People’s Assembly. However, the process remains tenuous and incomplete, […]

Are your messages secure?

Are your messages secure?

Researchers at Brigham Young University have learned that most users of popular messaging apps Facebook Messenger, What’sApp and Viber are leaving themselves exposed to fraud or other hacking because they don’t know about or aren’t using important security options. “We wanted to understand how typical users are protecting their privacy,” said BYU computer science Ph.D. […]

Trump Nominates Gen ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis as Pentagon Chief Against Rule Book

US President-elect Donald Trump is likely to nominate retired Marine Gen. James Mattis as his selection for secretary of defense during his latest “thank you” tour in North Carolina tonight, said reports. Trump earlier stated in a Twitter message:”General James “Mad Dog” Mattis, who is being considered for Secretary of Defense, was very impressive yesterday. […]