News headlines in January 2024, page 4

Continuing intercommunal clashes in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan have left more than 50 people dead including two peacekeepers, the UN said on Monday.

Nearly 100 people have died or disappeared crossing the Central and Eastern Mediterranean so far this year – more than twice the number for the same period in 2023, the deadliest year for migrants at sea in Europe since 2016, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday.

Ongoing hostilities across the Gaza Strip have been “particularly intense” in the southern city of Khan Younis, UN humanitarians warned on Monday, as the UN agency for Palestinians, UNWRA, reported that its shelters were now four times over-capacity.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 29 2024 (IPS) - Artisanal mining, or “garimpo” as it is known in Brazil, has returned to the headlines as a factor in the deaths of Yanomami indigenous people, whose territory in the extreme north of Brazil suffers constant encroachment by miners, which has intensified in recent years.

Secretary-General António Guterres has appealed to the countries that suspended funding to the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) to reconsider their decisions, to ensure continuity of its vital humanitarian operations.

A humanitarian worker in Gaza has been documenting her struggles after being displaced on numerous occasions as she and her family flee ongoing bombardments by Israeli forces.

The head of the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said on Saturday that some countries’ decisions to halt funding will jeopardize its lifesaving programmes, urging them to reconsider.

In remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a call for global unity against the rise of hate and division, cautioning that intolerance is proliferating rapidly and that no society is exempt from its reach.

LONDON, Jan 26 (IPS) - Serbia’s December 2023 elections saw the ruling party retain power – but amid a great deal of controversy.

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 26 (IPS) - The International Court of Justice today told Israel to take all measures to prevent a genocide in the Gaza Strip.