While some people say that there are no rules in war, there are definitely a lot of rules
Ukrainian Drones Are Burning Buildings With Russian Soldiers
Libya: Security Council invited to support popular “desire” for national elections
Hannah Tetteh, who also directs the United Nations Mission in Libya (Little vintage), informed the ambassadors following the elections of the municipal council last week and described a roadmap proposed in the general elections, which should have been retained in 2021.
“” The Libyan people turn to this estimated council for help, in order to ensure a solution to the crisis and to support a political process which will result in unified elections and institutions not a succession of transitional governments ”, it said.
Voting and disturbances
Almost 15 years after the fall of former president Muammar Gaddafi, Libya remains divided between two rival administrations: the internationally recognized government of national unity, located in the western capital of Tripoli, and the rival government of national stability based in Benghazi in the east.
Last Saturday, 26 municipalities successfully held elections despite significant challenges. Ms. Tetteh congratulated the electoral management body Hnec and urged all the candidates to accept the results.
She regretted that all the municipalities that were to participate could not do so, with The Eastern Government gives instructions to suspend electoral processes in 16 municipalities. In addition, the voting equipment has been removed from the region and southern centers.
The efforts to disrupt the vote also took place in certain municipalities in the WestWhere Hnec’s offices in three cities were burnt down or attacked, although the vote took front in two of them.
‘A clear signal’
“At the end of the election day, the participation rate was 71%. It is a clear signal that the Libyan people aspire to elect their representatives. In some regions, it was the first time that all elections have been performing since 2014, “she said.
However, the suspension of elections in the East and to the South “is an equally clear sign that not all of them are determined to support the democratic development of Libya and there is a Urgent need for reset In the political process, ”she added.
In February, USNIML created an advisory committee to provide recommendations to resolve unanswered problems that prevented the national elections.
A report was presented in May and the mission organized nationale consultations on results. He also conducted an online survey so that people share their opinions on the recommendations, with more than 22,500 answers.
“” The message we have clearly received was the desire to stop the cycles of repeated transition periods; preserve and strengthen the unity of the country and its institutions; as well as to renew their legitimacy through presidential and legislative elections; And put an end to what was frequently referenced as a foreign interference, ”Tetteh told council.
Roadmap in the elections
Based on the advisory committee recommendations, comments from the population and lessons learned from the failure to hold elections in 2021: “We are convinced that the political process should Focus on the guarantee of general elections and the unification of institutions through a sequenced approach“She said.
Ms. Tetteh proposed a roadmap built around three main pillars: the implementation of a “technically healthy and politically viable electoral framework” to hold the elections; Unify institutions through a new unified government and a structured dialogue to solve critical problems in order to create an environment conducive to the ballot box.
She estimated that it would take 12 to 18 months to finish the roadmap, which will end in the general elections and several “sequential stages”, in particular the improvement of HNEC capacity as well as the modification of legal and constitutional frameworks to organize complete – legislative and presidential elections.
“Following these two previous stages-which could be concluded over the next two months if there was the political will to do so-there should be an agreement on a new unified government, capable of creating an environment conducive to credible elections while effectively managing the functions of key governance,” she said.
Safety problems
Ms. Tetteh reported developments on other fronts, including the volatile security situation, with increasing militarization of all parties.
She noted that the situation in Tripoli remains very worrying, following the clashes in May. While a fragile truce is held, violations have occurred, although no escalation.
Unsmil has also documented 20 deaths in detention since March 2024, including political activist Abdel Munim Al-Maremi, who died last month in Tripoli, shortly after a liberation order was issued.
“These cases are the latest examples of a widespread and persistent model of serious violations perpetrated across the country with impunity, including against migrants and refugees, in certain cases supplied by disinformation and hate discourse,” she said.
Ms. Tetteh was also alarmed by the forced return of migrants to conflict zones, including Sudan. She noted that Sudanese Kufra refugees go beyond the number of residents, urging donors to intensify support.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
EU invests €116 million into restoring ocean and waters
A new wave of projects has secured funding as part of the EU’s mission to restore our ocean and waters. €116 million will go towards 13 projects that will deliver benefits not only to ocean and waters in the EU and beyond, but also the communities that rely on them. Source link
EU invests €116 million into restoring ocean and waters
A new wave of projects has secured funding as part of the EU’s mission to restore our ocean and waters. €116 million will go towards 13 projects that will deliver benefits not only to ocean and waters in the EU and beyond, but also the communities that rely on them.
Famine in Gaza: “a failure of humanity itself”, explains the UN chief
UN Secretary General António Guterres said the results of Integrated food security classification analysis (IPC) were not a mystery: “It is an artificial disaster, a moral act-and a failure of humanity itself.
“Famine does not concern food; it is the deliberate systems necessary for human survival. »»
Famine’s conditions should spread from the governor of Gaza to Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis Governorats in the coming weeks, IPC said.
The United Nations agencies have collectively and coherent the extreme urgency of providing immediate and large -scale humanitarian aid given the climbing of death -related deaths, quickly aggravating acute malnutrition levels and fall in food consumption in Gaza – with hundreds of thousands of days without everything to eat.
Israel’s obligations
“As a power of occupation, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law – including the duty to ensure food and medical supplies of the population“Said the United Nations chief, reacting to the Famine Declaration of IPC, which is approved by dozens of governments, United Nations agencies and NGOs as the main measure based on proofs of food insecurity and malnutrition.
See our UN news explanator here.
Mr. Guterres said The denial of Israel of his functions could not be allowed to continue: “More apologies. The action time is not tomorrow – it’s now. ”
Silence the pistols, release the hostages
The United Nations agencies operating in Gaza joined the United Nations chief to request an immediate cease-fire to finally allow a large-scale humanitarian response without hindrance and the immediate release of all the hostages taken by Hamas and other activists during terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023.
The agencies have also expressed serious concerns about the threat of the intensification of the military offensive on the city of Gaza and any new climbing in the conflict, as this would have already had devastating consequences for civilians where the famine conditions already exist.
“Many people-especially sick and poorly fed children, the elderly and people with disabilities-may be unable to evacuate,” they said In a joint declaration.
Famine takes place to develop
At the end of September, more than 640,000 people will face “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity – classified as IPC Phase 5 – through the Gaza Strip.
1.14 million additional people in the enclave will be in phase 4 with 396,000 other people confronted with phase 3 crisis conditions.
The conditions in the north of Gaza are as serious – or worse – as in the city of Gaza. However, the limited data prevented an IPC classification, highlighting the urgent need for access.
The classification of famine means that the most extreme category is triggered when three critical thresholds – extreme food deprivation, acute malnutrition and death -related deaths – have been violated. The latest analysis now claims on the basis of reasonable evidence that these criteria have been met, the United Nations agencies said.
Friday, informed journalists at the UN headquarters in Geneva, the United Nations Emergency Rescue Coordinator Tom Fletcher, said that it was a famine that could have been prevented “if we had been authorized”.
A seriously poorly nourished young girl is helped by her clothes.
Famine in a fertile land
“However, food accumulates at the borders due to a systematic obstruction of Israel. It is a famine a few hundred meters of food, in a fertile land.
This is a famine that we have warned several times-but that the international media have not been allowed to cover, to testify, “he added.
“It is a famine in 2025. A famine of the 21st century monitored by drones and the most advanced military technology in history. It is a famine openly promoted by certain Israeli leaders as a war. “”
On a larger scale, Mr. Fletcher said it was “Famine in the world. It is a famine that asks “but what did you do?” A famine that will haunt us all. »»
Malnutrition in children in Gaza accelerates “at a catastrophic pace”, said the United Nations agencies, which note that in July only, more than 12,000 children were identified as intensively – the highest monthly figure ever recorded and an increase of six times since the start of the year.
First famine of the Middle East
Since the Latest IPC analysis in MayThe number of children who should be at risk of severe death by malnutrition by the end of June 2026 is tripled from 14,100 to 43,400.
The new evaluation reports the most severe deterioration since the IPC began to analyze acute food insecurity and acute malnutrition in the Gaza Strip, and It marks the first time that a famine has been officially confirmed in the Middle East region.
Since July, food supplies and aid entering Gaza have increased slightly but have remained largely insufficient, incoherent and inaccessible to the need.
Meanwhile, approximately 98% of land cultivated in the territory are damaged Or inaccessible – decimate the agricultural sector and local food production – and nine of the ten people were moved in series of houses.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
The voices of “integral” survivors to the prevention of terrorism
This year marks the eighth commemoration of the International day of memory and tribute to the victims of terrorism. It is used to honor victims and survivors, to raise their voices, to raise awareness and to highlight global solidarity.
“This international day is not only that of memory; It is a reaffirmation of our collective commitment to maintain the rights, dignity and votes of victims everywhere, ”said Vladimir Voronkov, Head of the United Nations Terrorism Bureau (UNOCT) During the remarks of high -level commemoration.
Don’t forget and pay homage
“We pay tribute to those whose life has been stolen by terrorism, and we are united with those who continue to live with pain, loss and trauma,” he added.
The event presented testimonies from survivors and parents of those who killed: “Support should not be a privilege; It is a right. And international solidarity must be equaled by action, “he said.
United by Hope
“I could no longer continue to hide my pain, I chose to transform it as a goal,” Khalifah Mwarangi said, whose father was killed in a terrorist attack in Kenya in November 2014.
Last April, UNOCT spear The network of victims of terrorism associations (Votan), a global initiative which reflects a powerful truth: the victims of terrorism should not be considered as passive subjects of compassion and support.
The voices of the survivors “are an integral part of the development of policy and the conduct of changes to prevent similar attacks,” said Voronkov.
“While terror is trying to separate us, meeting while the victims strengthen force,” said Nanda Daniel, a survivor of the 2004 attack on the Australia Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
Seedbed Alumni Investment 2025 | EIT
EIT Food is offering up to €50,000 in lump sum funding to Seedbed programme alumni to support innovation, commercialisation, and fundraising activities aligned with Horizon Europe priorities.
Funding & Deliverables
- Total funding per venture: €50,000 as a lump sum (paid up front)
Linked Deliverables:
- Deliverable 1 – Communication & Dissemination Plan. Value: €5,000 (10%)
- Deliverable 2 – Innovation Activities (product development, commercialization, fundraising). Value: €45,000 (90%)
Eligible activities for funding use include R&D and product development, Commercial pilot projects and market research, Fundraising activities (pitch development, business planning) and Team costs, consultancy, travel, tools/software
If deliverables are not achieved, deductions will apply proportionally.
Eligibility Requirements
- Be a graduate of the EIT Food Seedbed Programme
- Have a registered legal entity in the EU or a Horizon Europe-associated country (before the application period)
- Be a small enterprise (per EU Recommendation 2003/361)
- Receive a recommendation from an EIT Food Seedbed coach
- Own or control their core IP (if applicable)
- Submit a funding roadmap (12–24 months)
- Submit application and pitch deck in English
Exclusions: Ventures are not eligible if they’ve received a SAFE or equity investment from EIT Food, are involved in other 2025 EIT schemes like RisingFoodStars, or are purely commercial or consulting businesses.
Amid massive destruction of Gaza City, UN chief renews ceasefire call
“It is vital to reach immediately a ceasefire in Gaza,” the Secretary-General told reporters on the sidelines of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), “and the unconditional release of all hostages and to avoid the massive death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause.”
Around one million people still live in the city – Gaza’s largest – in the north of the war-torn enclave. The Israeli army has reportedly described it as a stronghold of Hamas, the terror group whose deadly attacks in Israel and hostage-taking sparked the war on 7 October 2023.
The UN chief also condemned the Israeli Government’s decision to approve a long-shelved settlement expansion project in the occupied West Bank.
“The decision by the Israeli authorities to expand illegal settlement construction, which would divide the West Bank, must be reversed. All settlement construction is a violation of international law,” he insisted.
The settlement is believed to have permission for well over 3,000 houses, schools and a clinic, cutting off East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, which Israel captured during the 1967 Six-Day war after defeating Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
Urban destruction
In an update on Gaza, UN rights office, OHCHR, noted that the Israeli military announced on 20 August that the “preliminary phase” of the offensive against Gaza City had begun, focusing on Jabalya in north Gaza and Az Zaytoun in Gaza City.
OHCHR reported intense and continuing Israeli military attacks focusing on Jabalya Al Balad and Jabalya Al Nazla and, separately, further attacks on aid-seekers in the Zikim area.
“Continuous airstrikes, shelling and UAV [drone] bombing were reported, including against residential buildings,” the UN rights office said, with reported demolitions of homes in Jabalya using explosives.
Quadcopter alerts
The Israeli military also reportedly continued to broadcast orders using quadcopters as well as phone calls for residents to evacuate large parts of Jabalya, according to OHCHR.
Meanwhile in Gaza City, whole urban areas are being “totally destroyed”, the UN understands, with further destruction now underway in the south and southeast, as military manoeuvres continue.
Recent attacks have been particularly devastating in the Az Zaytoun and As Sabra neighbourhoods. In addition, reported airstrikes hit residential buildings or tents sheltering displaced people in Ash Sheikh Radwan, Ash Shujaiyeh and Ash Shati Camp, resulting in multiple fatalities, the OHCHR head in the occupied territories told UN News.
Highlighting more than 50 attacks on residential buildings and entire blocks in Gaza City since 8 August, OHCHR warned on Wednesday that the city’s “systematic destruction” had begun.
“Some families are reported to be trapped due to the continuous bombardment,” OHCHR said, citing reports that the extensive demolition of buildings was continuing in northern and eastern Gaza City.
In addition, mass population displacement was reported from North Gaza and from Gaza City towards western parts of Gaza City, although no figures are yet available.
Israeli military attacks on tents sheltering people in Al Mawasi, western Khan Younis, are also being reported, OHCHR noted.
Acute malnutrition soaring
Meanwhile, UN aid teams highlighted the catastrophic impact of the accelerating Israeli military operation, with acute malnourishment soaring among children in Gaza City to 28.5 per cent, or more than one in four youngsters.
“Children continue to die from man-made starvation,” UNRWA said in a statement, noting that it has screened more than 95,000 children aged six months to five years for malnutrition across the Gaza Strip since March 2025, after the ceasefire collapsed.
While the ceasefire still held in early March and relief supplies were allowed into Gaza in far greater quantities than today, malnutrition rates were six times lower in Gaza City, at 4.5 per cent, according to the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA.
Across Gaza, acute malnutrition rose to nearly 16 per cent in mid-August, more than three times higher than the 5.2 per cent level recorded by the UN agency in March, it said.
Vital services in danger
Today, services provided by UNRWA in Gaza City are at “severe risk”, the agency warned, pointing to the tens of thousands of people who still live in its shelters and the “many more” who remain in surrounding areas.
There is particular concern for UNRWA’s Gaza Field Office compound – its largest logistics hub in northern Gaza – as the UN agency’s operations in the south have been “crippled” by displacement orders and bombardment.
As an indication of UNRWA’s key role in aid and relief provision across Gaza, it noted that last month alone, it provided more than 100,000 medical consultations and screened 3,500 children for malnutrition in Gaza City.
UNRWA also delivered drinking water to 220,000 people, domestic water to 250,000 and cleared hundreds of tons of waste.
Education and protection specialists from the UN agency reached thousands more in temporary learning spaces or by offering counselling, recreational activities and risk awareness training about the dangers of lethal unexploded weapons.
“While our colleagues, like the rest of the UN, are determined to stay and deliver, all of these services are now at risk as the military operations intensify,” UNRWA said.
World News in Brief: Sudan hospitals under fire, world remembers victims of terrorism, DR Congo
A grenade attack inside Zalingei Hospital in Darfur State, led Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to suspend all of its activities there yesterday.
MSF had previously led a cholera emergency response at the medical facility, providing life-saving treatment for 160 patients in the past two weeks alone.
“The rules of war are clear that the wounded and sick, medical personnel and hospitals be protected at all times,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, at the regular briefing on Wednesday.
Do not give up on Sudan
In concert with the Sudanese Ministry of Health and humanitarian partners, the UN continues working to expand access to cholera vaccines across the country, including more than two million reached during a recent campaign across Khartoum, Al Jazirah and Sennar States.
With famine having been confirmed in parts of Sudan, the UN and its partners are also working to deliver food assistance wherever they can — but ongoing conflict has threatened their ability to access some locations.
For the first time since the conflict began in April 2023, the World Food Programme (WFP) reached rural areas of North Darfur State on 14 August and provided over 50,000 displaced people with food.
On 19 August, Luca Renda, the Sudan representative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Sudan, lauded the work of humanitarians who continue to provide lifesaving assistance despite extreme risk to their own safety.
“Sudanese humanitarians continue to deliver. They cross frontlines. They navigate insecurity and bureaucracy. They risk everything to reach people in need. They have not given up and neither must we.”
International Day honours victims of terrorism
Thursday, 21 August, marks the eighth commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
Although the violent scourge is condemned worldwide, victims and survivors of terrorism often feel their voices are not heard and struggle to have their needs supported and rights upheld, especially when few Member States have the resources to help them recover.
This year’s theme is United by Hope: Collective Action for Victims of Terrorism, highlighting the power of solidarity among victims to turn pain into purpose and drive meaningful change.
In observance of the day, the UN Office of Counterterrorism will host a virtual event and a panel discussion featuring five survivors of terrorism from different regions.
“On this solemn day, we honour the victims and survivors of terrorism everywhere – saluting their courage, acknowledging their pain, and reaffirming our enduring commitment to peace, justice, and human rights, Secretary-General António Guterres, said in a video message.
Mr. Guterres welcomed the launch of the UN-supported Victims of Terrorism Associations Network, which works to empower victims and amplify their voices.
“Victims of terrorism are showing the way: supporting one another, speaking out, and championing the rights of all those affected,” he continued, urging governments, civil society and the international community to “match their courage.”
DR Congo: Deadly violence continues in the east
Violence continues in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the form of deadly attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces militia across North Kivu between 9 and 16 August.
“Yesterday, gunfire was reported near the UN Mission’s base in Bayoo and also close to the base of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) in Bule, in Ituri Province,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric during Wednesday’s briefing in New York.
The UN mission, MONUSCO, activated security protocols and deployed patrols to secure the area and nearby sites hosting internally displaced people.
Peacekeeping efforts
Meanwhile, MONUSCO’s Commander led a delegation to Komanda in Ituri Province, to meet community representatives and honour victims of a massacre perpetrated by the ADF in July, which killed hundreds of civilians.
From 15 to 18 August, at the request of local communities, UN peacekeepers also deployed a Mobile Operating Base in Soleniama, Ituri, to support demobilisation efforts, with the help of religious leaders.
