Latest news with #UnitedNations-led
Techday NZ
a day ago
- Health
- Techday NZ
Alibaba DAMO Academy partners to drive AI in health, climate
Alibaba DAMO Academy, the research division of Alibaba Group, has announced a collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union to use artificial intelligence in addressing challenges related to healthcare, climate, and science. The partnership will involve joint activities under the initiatives AI for Health, AI for Climate, and AI for Science. These activities will comprise both online lectures and in-person events, and are designed to facilitate knowledge sharing and expert exchanges between the two organisations. Both parties will also explore potential cooperation in robotics and embodied intelligence, as well as deepen work in AI and video technologies with the goal of supporting global technological development, solution deployment, and standardisation. In addition to these activities, Alibaba DAMO Academy has become a founding member of the United Nations-led AI Skills Coalition, a platform aiming to help build AI skills and capacity in both developed and developing countries. Through this coalition, DAMO Academy will support efforts to empower governments, businesses, and organisations in less developed regions to fully leverage AI for sustainable development and good governance. Healthcare applications in Singapore and Saudi Arabia As part of its AI for Health efforts, Alibaba DAMO Academy is collaborating with NHG Health in Singapore to promote innovation in medical AI research and clinical applications at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Tan Tock Seng Hospital is one of Singapore's largest multidisciplinary hospitals, and the joint initiative targets early screening for pancreatic cancer, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, breast cancer, and kidney masses. The collaboration is utilising the strengths of both DAMO Academy and NHG Health, focusing on research, development, and the external validation of AI-powered early detection tools. The aim is to broaden access to precision medicine and enable earlier diagnosis and treatment. DAMO Academy intends for this partnership to support more timely and effective healthcare interventions by integrating advanced AI technologies within clinical settings. Furthermore, in Saudi Arabia, DAMO Academy is working with Abdul Latif Jameel Health to examine opportunities for AI-assisted diagnosis of a range of acute and chronic medical conditions. This includes cancers such as pancreatic, gastric, and oesophageal cancers, chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and fatty liver disease, as well as urgent conditions such as acute aortic syndromes and pulmonary embolism. "This partnership leverages the combined expertise of both organizations in medical AI technology and scientific research. The focus is on enhancing early screening for conditions such as pancreatic cancer, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, breast cancer, and kidney masses. Through joint research, development, and external validation, the collaboration aims to expand access to AI-driven early detection tools, ultimately supporting the advancement of precision medicine and enabling more timely and effective treatments." This joint work seeks to extend the benefits of medical AI systems to wider populations and regions, merging DAMO Academy's technology products with Abdul Latif Jameel Health's global resources. By doing so, it is expected that more people will gain access to advanced diagnostic tools designed to facilitate the early identification and management of various medical conditions. Featured innovations and recognition Several of DAMO Academy's AI systems have recently been recognised in the United Nations' AI for Good: Innovate for Impact Interim Report 2025. One of the featured projects is Baguan AI Weather Forecasting, which produces specialised weather indicators that can support power energy generation, agricultural meteorology, low-altitude forecasting, and renewable energy planning at the regional level. In healthcare, DAMO Academy's PANDA system (Pancreatic Cancer Detection with Artificial Intelligence) was highlighted for its ability to use deep learning to detect and categorise pancreatic lesions accurately using non-contrast CT scans. DAMO GRAPE (Gastric Cancer Risk Assessment Procedure with Artificial Intelligence), a framework for analysing three-dimensional CT scans to detect and segment gastric cancers, was also noted for its high sensitivity and specificity. According to DAMO Academy, these innovations are part of its ongoing commitment to support scientific advancement and societal benefit through artificial intelligence. By contributing technologies and expertise to joint international and regional initiatives, the organisation seeks to further the practical deployment of AI that can address health, environmental, and scientific challenges across diverse communities.
Days of Palestine
2 days ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Amnesty: Gaza Faces Mass Starvation, Immediate and Permanent Ceasefire Needed
DaysofPal- Amnesty International has issued a stark warning that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are facing a situation of mass starvation, calling for the immediate implementation of a permanent ceasefire and the unhindered entry and distribution of humanitarian aid. In a statement released Wednesday on its official account on the X platform, Amnesty International accused the Israeli military of deliberately blocking aid from entering Gaza, targeting shelters, and weaponizing essential resources such as food, water, and medicine. The organization's alarm comes amid growing global concern over the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the besieged enclave. Earlier today, more than 100 international humanitarian organizations jointly issued an urgent appeal to open all land crossings into Gaza and to restore the full flow of essential supplies, including food, clean water, medicine, shelter materials, and fuel, through a United Nations-led humanitarian mechanism. The joint appeal also called on governments worldwide to take decisive action to end the Israeli blockade on Gaza and approve a permanent ceasefire, emphasizing the need to stop what many are describing as a deepening humanitarian catastrophe. This appeal marks two months since the launch of the 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,' a relief framework controlled by the Israeli government, which rights groups say has failed to address the critical needs of the population. The Gaza Strip is currently enduring one of the worst humanitarian crises in its history, as severe famine coincides with a prolonged and devastating military assault that began on October 7, 2023. Since March 2, the Israeli occupation has imposed a total closure on border crossings, barring the entry of food and medical supplies, which has led to a widespread outbreak of famine and acute malnutrition, particularly among children and the chronically ill. Human rights groups, including Amnesty, have condemned what they describe as a campaign of genocide. Since the start of the war, more than 201,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured, the majority of them children and women. An additional 9,000 people remain missing, while hundreds of thousands have been forcibly displaced. Famine has already claimed countless lives. International calls for accountability and an end to the bloodshed are intensifying, as aid agencies warn that without immediate intervention, an entire population faces the risk of total collapse. Shortlink for this post:
India Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
UK, France, and 23 other nations slam Israel over 'inhumane killing' of civilians
A group of 25 countries -- including the UK, France, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand -- issued a joint statement on Monday, saying Israel must stop its military operations in Gaza. These nations, many of whom are longtime allies of Israel, also condemned the "inhumane killing" of Palestinian civilians, especially near food aid the statement, the foreign ministers of these countries said, "The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity. The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths."advertisementThe group bluntly criticised the way humanitarian aid is being allowed into Gaza, calling it a "drip feeding" system that fails to meet basic needs. They pointed out that more than 800 people have been killed while trying to collect food near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution sites. These sites are backed by both Israel and the United States and were set up to take over aid work from a United Nations-led system. The joint statement called the situation "horrifying" and said Israel's actions are denying Palestinians access to essential humanitarian assistance. It also urged Israel to lift restrictions and allow aid agencies, including the UN, to operate BLAMES HAMAS FOR THE CRISISIn response, Israel's foreign ministry rejected the claims. Officials called the international statement "disconnected from reality" and said it would only encourage Hamas."The statement fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognise Hamas's role and responsibility for the situation," the Israeli government has repeatedly claimed that aid sent through the UN system has been stolen by Hamas fighters. However, Hamas has denied this allegation. Instead, Israel and the US have turned to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which uses private American companies to transport supplies, mostly bypassing UN United Nations has spoken out against this model, saying it compromises humanitarian neutrality and puts civilians at greater risk. But the GHF insists it is doing its best to get aid to people in war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants entered southern Israel, killed around 1,200 people, and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli data. Since then, Israel's military campaign has devastated the Gaza. Health authorities in the region say over 59,000 Palestinians have been killed so far.- EndsWith inputs from ReutersMust Watch
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
At least 36 shot dead near Gaza food site: hospital
At least 36 people have been killed by Israeli fire while they were on their way to an aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip at dawn, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots at suspects who approached its troops after they did not heed calls to stop, about a kilometre away from an aid distribution site that was not active at the time. Gaza Strip resident Mohammed al-Khalidi said he was in the group approaching the site and heard no warnings before the firing began. "We thought they came out to organise us so we can get aid, suddenly (I) saw the jeeps coming from one side, and the tanks from the other and started shooting at us," he said. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed group which runs the aid site, said there were no incidents or fatalities there on Saturday and that it has repeatedly warned people not to travel to its distribution points in the dark. "The reported IDF (Israel Defence Forces) activity resulting in fatalities occurred hours before our sites opened and our understanding is most of the casualties occurred several kilometres away from the nearest GHF site," it said. The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident. GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get supplies into the Gaza Strip, largely bypassing a United Nations-led system that Israel alleges has let Hamas-led militants loot aid shipments intended for civilians. Hamas denies the accusation. The UN has called the GHF's model unsafe and a breach of humanitarian impartiality standards, which GHF denies. On Tuesday, the UN rights office in Geneva said it had recorded at least 875 killings within the past six weeks in the vicinity of aid sites and food convoys in the Gaza Strip - the majority of them close to GHF distribution points. Most of those deaths were caused by gunfire that locals have blamed on the Israeli military. The military has acknowledged that civilians were harmed, saying that Israeli forces had been issued new instructions with "lessons learned". At least 50 more people were killed in other Israeli attacks across the enclave on Saturday, health officials said, including one strike that killed the head of the Hamas-run police force in Nuseirat in the centre of the Gaza Strip and 11 of his family members. The Israeli military said that it had struck militants' weapon depots and sniping posts in a few locations in the enclave. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people, mostly civilians and taking 251 hostages back to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military campaign against Hamas in the strip has since killed about 58,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians according to health officials, displaced almost the entire population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis, leaving much of the territory in ruins. Israel and Hamas are engaged in indirect talks in Doha aimed at reaching a US-proposed 60-day ceasefire and a hostage deal mediated by Egypt and Qatar, although there has been no sign of any imminent breakthrough. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages are believed to still be alive. Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan was kidnapped from his kibbutz home and is held by Hamas, urged Israel's leaders to make a deal with the militant group. "An entire people wants to bring all 50 hostages home and end the war," Zangauker said in a statement outside Israel's defence headquarters in Tel Aviv. "My Matan is alone in the tunnels," she said, "He has no more time". At least 36 people have been killed by Israeli fire while they were on their way to an aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip at dawn, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots at suspects who approached its troops after they did not heed calls to stop, about a kilometre away from an aid distribution site that was not active at the time. Gaza Strip resident Mohammed al-Khalidi said he was in the group approaching the site and heard no warnings before the firing began. "We thought they came out to organise us so we can get aid, suddenly (I) saw the jeeps coming from one side, and the tanks from the other and started shooting at us," he said. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed group which runs the aid site, said there were no incidents or fatalities there on Saturday and that it has repeatedly warned people not to travel to its distribution points in the dark. "The reported IDF (Israel Defence Forces) activity resulting in fatalities occurred hours before our sites opened and our understanding is most of the casualties occurred several kilometres away from the nearest GHF site," it said. The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident. GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get supplies into the Gaza Strip, largely bypassing a United Nations-led system that Israel alleges has let Hamas-led militants loot aid shipments intended for civilians. Hamas denies the accusation. The UN has called the GHF's model unsafe and a breach of humanitarian impartiality standards, which GHF denies. On Tuesday, the UN rights office in Geneva said it had recorded at least 875 killings within the past six weeks in the vicinity of aid sites and food convoys in the Gaza Strip - the majority of them close to GHF distribution points. Most of those deaths were caused by gunfire that locals have blamed on the Israeli military. The military has acknowledged that civilians were harmed, saying that Israeli forces had been issued new instructions with "lessons learned". At least 50 more people were killed in other Israeli attacks across the enclave on Saturday, health officials said, including one strike that killed the head of the Hamas-run police force in Nuseirat in the centre of the Gaza Strip and 11 of his family members. The Israeli military said that it had struck militants' weapon depots and sniping posts in a few locations in the enclave. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people, mostly civilians and taking 251 hostages back to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military campaign against Hamas in the strip has since killed about 58,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians according to health officials, displaced almost the entire population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis, leaving much of the territory in ruins. Israel and Hamas are engaged in indirect talks in Doha aimed at reaching a US-proposed 60-day ceasefire and a hostage deal mediated by Egypt and Qatar, although there has been no sign of any imminent breakthrough. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages are believed to still be alive. Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan was kidnapped from his kibbutz home and is held by Hamas, urged Israel's leaders to make a deal with the militant group. "An entire people wants to bring all 50 hostages home and end the war," Zangauker said in a statement outside Israel's defence headquarters in Tel Aviv. "My Matan is alone in the tunnels," she said, "He has no more time". At least 36 people have been killed by Israeli fire while they were on their way to an aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip at dawn, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots at suspects who approached its troops after they did not heed calls to stop, about a kilometre away from an aid distribution site that was not active at the time. Gaza Strip resident Mohammed al-Khalidi said he was in the group approaching the site and heard no warnings before the firing began. "We thought they came out to organise us so we can get aid, suddenly (I) saw the jeeps coming from one side, and the tanks from the other and started shooting at us," he said. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed group which runs the aid site, said there were no incidents or fatalities there on Saturday and that it has repeatedly warned people not to travel to its distribution points in the dark. "The reported IDF (Israel Defence Forces) activity resulting in fatalities occurred hours before our sites opened and our understanding is most of the casualties occurred several kilometres away from the nearest GHF site," it said. The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident. GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get supplies into the Gaza Strip, largely bypassing a United Nations-led system that Israel alleges has let Hamas-led militants loot aid shipments intended for civilians. Hamas denies the accusation. The UN has called the GHF's model unsafe and a breach of humanitarian impartiality standards, which GHF denies. On Tuesday, the UN rights office in Geneva said it had recorded at least 875 killings within the past six weeks in the vicinity of aid sites and food convoys in the Gaza Strip - the majority of them close to GHF distribution points. Most of those deaths were caused by gunfire that locals have blamed on the Israeli military. The military has acknowledged that civilians were harmed, saying that Israeli forces had been issued new instructions with "lessons learned". At least 50 more people were killed in other Israeli attacks across the enclave on Saturday, health officials said, including one strike that killed the head of the Hamas-run police force in Nuseirat in the centre of the Gaza Strip and 11 of his family members. The Israeli military said that it had struck militants' weapon depots and sniping posts in a few locations in the enclave. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people, mostly civilians and taking 251 hostages back to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military campaign against Hamas in the strip has since killed about 58,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians according to health officials, displaced almost the entire population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis, leaving much of the territory in ruins. Israel and Hamas are engaged in indirect talks in Doha aimed at reaching a US-proposed 60-day ceasefire and a hostage deal mediated by Egypt and Qatar, although there has been no sign of any imminent breakthrough. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages are believed to still be alive. Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan was kidnapped from his kibbutz home and is held by Hamas, urged Israel's leaders to make a deal with the militant group. "An entire people wants to bring all 50 hostages home and end the war," Zangauker said in a statement outside Israel's defence headquarters in Tel Aviv. "My Matan is alone in the tunnels," she said, "He has no more time". At least 36 people have been killed by Israeli fire while they were on their way to an aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip at dawn, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots at suspects who approached its troops after they did not heed calls to stop, about a kilometre away from an aid distribution site that was not active at the time. Gaza Strip resident Mohammed al-Khalidi said he was in the group approaching the site and heard no warnings before the firing began. "We thought they came out to organise us so we can get aid, suddenly (I) saw the jeeps coming from one side, and the tanks from the other and started shooting at us," he said. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed group which runs the aid site, said there were no incidents or fatalities there on Saturday and that it has repeatedly warned people not to travel to its distribution points in the dark. "The reported IDF (Israel Defence Forces) activity resulting in fatalities occurred hours before our sites opened and our understanding is most of the casualties occurred several kilometres away from the nearest GHF site," it said. The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident. GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get supplies into the Gaza Strip, largely bypassing a United Nations-led system that Israel alleges has let Hamas-led militants loot aid shipments intended for civilians. Hamas denies the accusation. The UN has called the GHF's model unsafe and a breach of humanitarian impartiality standards, which GHF denies. On Tuesday, the UN rights office in Geneva said it had recorded at least 875 killings within the past six weeks in the vicinity of aid sites and food convoys in the Gaza Strip - the majority of them close to GHF distribution points. Most of those deaths were caused by gunfire that locals have blamed on the Israeli military. The military has acknowledged that civilians were harmed, saying that Israeli forces had been issued new instructions with "lessons learned". At least 50 more people were killed in other Israeli attacks across the enclave on Saturday, health officials said, including one strike that killed the head of the Hamas-run police force in Nuseirat in the centre of the Gaza Strip and 11 of his family members. The Israeli military said that it had struck militants' weapon depots and sniping posts in a few locations in the enclave. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people, mostly civilians and taking 251 hostages back to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military campaign against Hamas in the strip has since killed about 58,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians according to health officials, displaced almost the entire population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis, leaving much of the territory in ruins. Israel and Hamas are engaged in indirect talks in Doha aimed at reaching a US-proposed 60-day ceasefire and a hostage deal mediated by Egypt and Qatar, although there has been no sign of any imminent breakthrough. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages are believed to still be alive. Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan was kidnapped from his kibbutz home and is held by Hamas, urged Israel's leaders to make a deal with the militant group. "An entire people wants to bring all 50 hostages home and end the war," Zangauker said in a statement outside Israel's defence headquarters in Tel Aviv. "My Matan is alone in the tunnels," she said, "He has no more time".
West Australian
6 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
At least 36 shot dead near Gaza food site: hospital
At least 36 people have been killed by Israeli fire while they were on their way to an aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip at dawn, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots at suspects who approached its troops after they did not heed calls to stop, about a kilometre away from an aid distribution site that was not active at the time. Gaza Strip resident Mohammed al-Khalidi said he was in the group approaching the site and heard no warnings before the firing began. "We thought they came out to organise us so we can get aid, suddenly (I) saw the jeeps coming from one side, and the tanks from the other and started shooting at us," he said. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed group which runs the aid site, said there were no incidents or fatalities there on Saturday and that it has repeatedly warned people not to travel to its distribution points in the dark. "The reported IDF (Israel Defence Forces) activity resulting in fatalities occurred hours before our sites opened and our understanding is most of the casualties occurred several kilometres away from the nearest GHF site," it said. The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident. GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get supplies into the Gaza Strip, largely bypassing a United Nations-led system that Israel alleges has let Hamas-led militants loot aid shipments intended for civilians. Hamas denies the accusation. The UN has called the GHF's model unsafe and a breach of humanitarian impartiality standards, which GHF denies. On Tuesday, the UN rights office in Geneva said it had recorded at least 875 killings within the past six weeks in the vicinity of aid sites and food convoys in the Gaza Strip - the majority of them close to GHF distribution points. Most of those deaths were caused by gunfire that locals have blamed on the Israeli military. The military has acknowledged that civilians were harmed, saying that Israeli forces had been issued new instructions with "lessons learned". At least 50 more people were killed in other Israeli attacks across the enclave on Saturday, health officials said, including one strike that killed the head of the Hamas-run police force in Nuseirat in the centre of the Gaza Strip and 11 of his family members. The Israeli military said that it had struck militants' weapon depots and sniping posts in a few locations in the enclave. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people, mostly civilians and taking 251 hostages back to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military campaign against Hamas in the strip has since killed about 58,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians according to health officials, displaced almost the entire population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis, leaving much of the territory in ruins. Israel and Hamas are engaged in indirect talks in Doha aimed at reaching a US-proposed 60-day ceasefire and a hostage deal mediated by Egypt and Qatar, although there has been no sign of any imminent breakthrough. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages are believed to still be alive. Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan was kidnapped from his kibbutz home and is held by Hamas, urged Israel's leaders to make a deal with the militant group. "An entire people wants to bring all 50 hostages home and end the war," Zangauker said in a statement outside Israel's defence headquarters in Tel Aviv. "My Matan is alone in the tunnels," she said, "He has no more time".
