International Court of Justice sides with Equatorial Guinea in Gabon island dispute
Gabon had argued that a more recent treaty - the 1974 Bata Convention - switched the islands' sovereignty in its favour.
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The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Israel rejects UN allegations that its forces have sexually abused detained Palestinians
The U.N. chief warned Israel that the United Nations has 'credible information' of sexual violence and other violations by Israeli forces against detained Palestinians, which Israel's U.N. ambassador dismissed as 'baseless accusations.' Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a letter to Ambassador Danny Danon that he is 'gravely concerned' about reported violations against Palestinians by Israeli military and security forces in several prisons, a detention center and a military base. Guterres said he was putting Israeli forces on notice that they could be listed as abusers in his next report on sexual violence in conflict 'due to significant concerns of patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented by the United Nations.' Danon, who circulated the letter and his response Tuesday, said the allegations 'are steeped in biased publications.' 'The U.N. must focus on the shocking war crimes and sexual violence of Hamas and the release of all hostages,' he said. Danon was referring to the militant group's surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, where some 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage. Israeli authorities said women were raped and sexually abused. The Hamas attack triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed more than 61,400 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but that about half were women and children. Danon stressed that 'Israel will not shy away from protecting its citizens and will continue to act in accordance with international law.' Because Israel has denied access to U.N. monitors, it has been 'challenging to make a definitive determination' about patterns, trends and the systematic use of sexual violence by its forces, Guterres said in the letter. He urged Israel's government 'to take the necessary measures to ensure immediate cessation of all acts of sexual violence, and make and implement specific time-bound commitments.' The secretary-general said these should include investigations of credible allegations, clear orders and codes of conduct for military and security forces that prohibit sexual violence, and unimpeded access for U.N. monitors. In March, U.N.-backed human rights experts accused Israel of 'the systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence.' The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said it documented a range of violations perpetrated against Palestinian women, men, girls and boys and accused Israeli security forces of rape and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the U.N. Human Rights Council, which commissioned the team of independent experts, as an 'anti-Israel circus' that 'has long been exposed as an antisemitic, rotten, terrorist-supporting, and irrelevant body.' His statement did not address the findings themselves.
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Reuters
UN's Haiti appeal has received lowest funding of any response plan, coordinator says
Aug 12 (Reuters) - The United Nations' Haiti appeal for 2025 has received the lowest funding of any response plan worldwide, the organization's humanitarian coordinator for the Caribbean nation said on Tuesday, as armed gangs continue to paralyze transport routes and fuel hunger. This year's humanitarian response plan aims to raise over $900 million, mainly from U.N. member countries, but is just 9.2% funded, the coordinator, Ulrika Richardson, said in a briefing marked "the lowest level of funding for any response plan in the world." Ukraine's $2.63-billion appeal for this year is by comparison 38% funded, according to U.N. financial tracking data, while a $4-billion flash appeal for the Palestinian territories received $890 million, or 22% of its target. "We have tools, but the response from the international community is just not at par with the gravity on the ground," Richardson said. More than 3,100 people have been killed this year in a conflict with heavily armed gangs that has pushed more than half the population into food insecurity and around 1.3 million from their homes. More than 8,000 people living in makeshift camps face famine-level hunger. A partially-deployed U.N.-backed force led by Kenya and based on voluntary contributions, deployed a year ago but has had little effect in helping a cash-strapped police force reclaim territories. Meanwhile, many aid organizations have had to cut back services due to the difficulty of bringing in supplies and ensuring the safety of the people they work with. Richardson said strangling the trafficking of arms - which the U.N. estimates are largely shipped from Florida - into Haiti was key to stopping the violence, as well as sanctions against those involved in financial support of the gangs. "Haiti can quickly spiral up again, but the violence needs to end," she said.
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
UK demands Israel stop 'unimaginable' Gaza famine as children starve to death
The UK, Australia and other European states demanded Israel allow unrestricted aid into Gaza, describing the humanitarian suffering as "unimaginable" as another five Palestinians die of starvation Horror-stricken Gaza is suffering a 'famine unfolding before our eyes,' a coalition of western countries declared on Tuesday. The UK, Australia and other European states demanded Israel allow unrestricted aid into Gaza, describing the humanitarian suffering as "unimaginable". In a joint statement signed by the foreign ministers of 24 countries, they said famine is "unfolding before our eyes". It said: "The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation. Humanitarian space must be protected, and aid should never be politicised.' The grim warning happened as Israel continued to batter the Strip with missiles and ground attacks, killing at least 46 Palestinians since dawn on Tuesday. Another five Palestinians, including two children, died from starvation, taking the toll of those dying from lack of food to 227 since the war in the Strip began. Among those who have starved to death, according to health officials, were 103 children, and Israel has continued pounding the enclave daily. It comes after Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu recently 'completely lost it' with angry response to Keir Starmer. The military has been roundly condemned for its killing of Al Jazeera journalists based on the claim that one of them was a Hamas 'terrorist.' Both the UN and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer 's office have called for an independent investigation to probe the attack. The 24 foreign minister statement continued: "Due to restrictive new registration requirements, essential international NGOs (non-governmental organisations) may be forced to leave the Occupied Palestinian Territories imminently, which would worsen the humanitarian situation still further. "We call on the government of Israel to provide authorisation for all international NGO aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating. Lethal force must not be used at distribution sites, and civilians, humanitarians and medical workers must be protected." The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The military has been roundly condemned for its killing of Al Jazeera journalists based on the claim that one of them was a Hamas 'terrorist.' Both the UN and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office have called for an independent investigation to probe the attack. The Government Media Office in Gaza reported that only 1,334 aid trucks out of the supposed 9,000 were allowed into Gaza over 15 days. Wadie Said, professor of law at the University of Colorado, says journalists cannot be targeted in conflicts as they are considered 'protected persons' under international law. The latest Israeli targeting and killing of Al Jazeera's journalists is 'remarkable', he said, in that the Israeli military 'engaged in a campaign of terrorisation of Anas al-Sharif directly. It's no longer being hidden, it's no longer being kept under wraps,' Said told Al Jazeera. The war began on October 7 2023 when Hamas broke out of Gaza and killed around 1,200 in southern Israel, kidnapping 250 and taking them back to the Strip. At least 50 remain in captivity , although only 20 are believed to be alive.
