China grilled over human rights record at UN DW 01/23/2024
China faced scrutiny of its human rights record at the UN, with a focus on Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
Over 160 countries addressed the hearing, with Western countries calling on China to end human rights abuses and repeal the security law in Hong Kong. [ more ]
Israel's military claims that Hamas militants are firing rockets from humanitarian zones in Gaza, but this has not been independently verified.
The UN has opposed the concept of 'safe zones' in Gaza, instead advocating for civilians to seek shelter in protected buildings like schools and hospitals. [ more ]
Israel and WHO in online row over removal of medical supplies in Gaza
Israel denies ordering the UN health agency to remove medical supplies from its warehouse in southern Gaza.
An online row has emerged between the World Health Organization (WHO) and Israel after the United Nations health body said the Israeli army ordered it to remove supplies from its warehouse in southern Gaza, a claim Israel then denied. [ more ]
Out of medicines, care: Gaza's cancer patients face death amid Israel war
Cancer patients in the Gaza Strip are living in catastrophic health conditions due to a lack of treatment and care.
The UN-run schools housing displaced Palestinians are inadequate for housing sick patients, lacking basic necessities like electricity and clean water.
The Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the only one for cancer treatment in Gaza, shut down its services due to a lack of fuel and damage from Israeli attacks. [ more ]
Friar Paolo Benanti is the Vatican's expert on artificial intelligence and ethics, advising Pope Francis on the technology and connecting with Silicon Valley engineers and executives.
Benanti is part of the United Nations' Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence and leads an Italian government commission on safeguarding journalism from fake news. [ more ]
Climate education: Are schools making the grade? DW 02/15/2024
Italy is the first country to make climate change education compulsory on the national curriculum, requiring 33 hours of climate change education per year.
Teachers like Monica Capo are using hands-on approaches to teach students about climate change and its impact on their futures. [ more ]
New COP28 agreement calls for "transitioning away from fossil fuels"
The closing agreement at the UN's COP28 meeting includes a call for a transition away from fossil fuels, aligning with the implications of the Paris Treaty.
The Global Stocktake document acknowledges incremental progress but highlights the need for more aggressive measures to meet climate goals. [ more ]
UN weather agency says 2023 was hottest year on record
2023 is projected to be the hottest year on record, with increasing floods, wildfires, glacier melt, and heatwaves.
The average temperature is 1.4 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels, just below the 1.5-degree target set in the Paris climate accord. [ more ]
Where's the beef? UN calling on Americans to cut down on meat consumption
The UN's FAO is expected to release a global food systems' roadmap urging the West to reduce meat consumption.
The roadmap aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will also address issues such as weather adaptation and emissions from food waste and fertilizer use.
The recommendations will not be binding, but the US COP28 delegation may sign onto them. [ more ]
Earth to warm up to 2.9C even with current climate pledges: UN
The world's emissions-cutting pledges are not enough to curb the effects of climate change, with Earth on track for warming of potentially 2.9C this century.
The UN Environment Programme's annual Emissions Gap report warns that governments need to take more aggressive climate action to prevent catastrophic warming above preindustrial levels.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for dramatic climate action at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai, emphasizing the need to move away from polluting coal, oil, and gas. [ more ]