The Ark of the Covenant [Hebrew: κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης]according to the Old Testament, is the most important sacred object symbolizing the presence of God and located in the Tabernacle of the Congregation and the Temple of Jerusalem. The Hebrew word traditionally translated into Russian is [κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης]. The word “ark” in the Old Testament is used in the […]
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
Speaking at a donor conference in Washington, DC, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned that the brutal conflict, famine and mass displacement are pushing millions of civilians deeper into crisis, while aid access remains severely constrained.
Fighting erupted between the once-allied Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April 2023, spreading quickly through a country already undergoing political turmoil, increased ethnic tensions, and climate extremes.
There have been “too many days of famine, of brutal atrocities, of lives uprooted and destroyed,” Mr. Fletcher said, while women and girls have been forced to endure “terrifying sexual violence.”
He stressed that the international community must move beyond expressions of concern to deliver more support and political pressure on combatants for a ceasefire. With that must come extensive humanitarian access.
Mr. Fletcher said the United Nations fully supports diplomatic efforts led by the “Quad” – the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – aimed at securing a humanitarian truce, including the demilitarization of key areas to allow life-saving aid to reach civilians.
“The guns must fall silent and a path to peace must be charted,” he said.
Under its comprehensive 2026 humanitarian response plan, UN agencies aim to reach more than 20 million people across Sudan with emergency assistance. To achieve that target, the Organization requires about $2.9 billion.
Alongside funding, safe and unhindered access for humanitarians and civilians are critical to ensure aid reaches those in need.
Civilians and aid workers must be protected, Mr. Fletcher stressed, urging donors to respond quickly and decisively.
“Let today be at last the signal that the world is uniting in solidarity for practical impact,” he said.
Meanwhile, fighting rages on the ground in Sudan.
According to media reports, Government forces on Tuesday entered South Kordofan’s capital, Kadugli, which was under a months-long siege by the RSF. The army had also recently broken the blockade of Dilling, a major town about 110 kilometres north of Kadugli.
The fighting continues to drive thousands from their homes into IDP camps and makeshift settlements, facing critical shortages of food, healthcare, water, sanitation, shelter and education.
According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly 11.7 million people have been forcibly displaced by the conflict, including seven million internally displaced and 4.5 million who have fled to neighbouring countries.
press releasePublished February 4, 2026 Europeans are very concerned about extreme heat and other impacts of climate change like forest fires, according to the results of a Europe-wide survey published today. The study found that many citizens were also ill-prepared to deal with the frequency and […]
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
Europeans are very concerned about extreme heat and other impacts of climate change like wildfires according to the results of a Europe-wide survey published today. It found that many citizens were also underprepared to deal with the increasing frequency and magnitude of heatwaves, flooding, or water shortages in their own homes.
The results of the survey were analysed in the report ‘Overheated and underprepared’ published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound). The report offers a Europe-wide overview of the perceived implementation of climate resilience measures — both those reported by survey participants at the household level and their observations of measures implemented by authorities.
This report is based on an online survey conducted by Eurofound last year involving over 27,000 respondents from across 27 European countries. It presents their experiences of climate impacts, concerns about future impacts and resilience measures they took at home and those they are aware of where they live.
The survey findings highlight that ensuring the well-being and prosperity of European society under a rapidly changing climate requires a broad implementation of measures preventing and preparing for climate impacts. This also means it will be necessary to boost household-level readiness to cope with the impacts and to ensure that household-level actions are affordable and are socially fair to make sure no one is left behind.
Climate change has an impact on the lives of four in five EU citizens, but only a quarter of them are equipped with appropriate instruments to cope with it. For policymakers and researchers, these findings, based on 27,000 survey responses across Europe, provide a vital perspective on how climate preparedness differs across communities—and where action is most needed.
Eurofound Executive Director
Four out of five respondents have already experienced at least one climate-related impact (heat, flooding, wildfires, water scarcity, wind, mosquito/tick bites) over the past five years. Added to this, over half of respondents were very or quite concerned about extremely high temperatures in the future and felt very or quite concerned about wildfires.
One in five respondents did not have any of the household measures protecting against extreme weather that were listed in the survey (shading, air conditioning or ventilation, flood proofing, rainwater collection, extreme weather insurance). Over 38% of respondents stated that they could not afford to keep their home adequately cool in the summer.
Regionally, the group with the lowest percentage of respondents reporting both climate impacts and the presence of resilience measures listed in the survey was from northern Europe.
The survey also asked participants whether they were aware of adaptation actions taken by local authorities and it also uncovered that some of the climate impacts reported affected certain groups differently depending on their income. For example, four times as many respondents from households with the lowest financial means had experienced problems with access to safe and clean water.
The survey and joint EEA-Eurofound analysis offers policymakers a valuable snapshot of respondents’ perceptions of the state of the EU’s resilience and ability of its citizens to cope with the changing climate and the impacts this has on their daily lives. The aim is to help target efforts under current and future climate resilience and risk management measures.
The findings reflect numerous studies, including the European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA) which point to critical climate risks to people’s health, built environment, infrastructure and ecosystems in Europe. Managing current and future climate risks is recognised in EU policy as essential for maintaining Europe’s prosperity and the quality of life of its residents. The work was done together with partners in the European Climate and Health Observatory.
The report draws on data collected through the yearly Eurofound Living and Working in the EU e-survey. In 2025, the survey included a set of questions on climate impacts felt in the past, concerns about the future and resilience actions. The survey is undertaken annually as part of European Climate and Health Observatory (Climate-ADAPT) activities to support European climate adaptation policies with a focus on health and well-being.
“This call is a call to stand with people experiencing conflict, displacement and disaster. “Provide them not only with services, but also with the certainty that the world has not turned its back on them,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. The 2026 call aims to […]
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
There is a point in every fraud story when the numbers stop feeling real. A campaign report reads
For Dr Pavla Bouchalová, a cancer researcher at the Department of Biochemistry at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, answering complex questions about the behavior of colorectal tumors requires access to data, samples and analytical tools that go well beyond a single laboratory. Thanks to an initiative supported by […]
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
This comes as the risks of pandemics, drug-resistant infections and fragile health services increase, the WHO Director-General said. Addressing the WHO Executive Board in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the impact of staff reductions last year due to “significant reductions in our funding”, which have […]
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
The sole border point with Egypt is a lifeline to the world – including for thousands of severely ill or injured Palestinians who require medical treatment outside the enclave, where last October’s fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continues to hold.
The development comes, however, following reports of violence over the weekend, with the UN voicing concern over the killing of civilians and Israeli airstrikes.
“As we have seen so many times throughout this conflict, we’re seeing really competing dynamics here: on the one hand, positive progress when it comes to the re-opening of Rafah, and yet over the past 24 hours, 30 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes during a ceasefire,” Sam Rose, Acting Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, told the BBC on Sunday.
“At the same time, international organizations that are equipped and qualified and capable of doing work, which is urgently needed, are continuing to face major, major constraints.”
For this reason, Palestinians in Gaza are feeling “massive trepidation – hope that people will be able to get out, but real, real fear for the future,” he said.
UNRWA remains on the ground delivering life-saving assistance in where “fear and uncertainty persist,” the agency said, noting that “access is limited, protection concerns persist, and humanitarian needs remain acute amid ongoing operational constraints.”
Reopening the Rafah crossing was an integral part of the 20-point peace plan put forward by US President Donald Trump last September, with the ceasefire announced days later.
For now, Israel will only allow some 50 Palestinians to enter and exit Gaza each day – and only on foot, international news agencies have reported.
The crossing will be coordinated with Egypt and supervised by the European Union (EU), according to the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA.
Returns will only be permitted for residents who left during the war and after obtaining prior authorisation from the Israeli security services, being checked by the EU at the Rafah crossing point and undergoing a second identification and control process in a designated corridor managed by the Israeli army in an area under its control.
OCHA welcomed the reopening of the key border crossing, underscoring that “civilians must be allowed to leave and return voluntarily and safely, as international law requires.”
Over the weekend, the UN carried out an advance mission to assess road conditions.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is set to provide bus transportation for returnees from the internal checkpoint to Nassar hospital in Khan Younis, where several UN agencies and NGO partners have set up a reception area to provide them with support.
The reception desk is staffed by psychologists and protection specialists, while food, information materials and internet connectivity are available.
A child arrives at Al-Amal Hospital in his wheelchair in an attempt to get treatment.
Monday also saw the World Health Organization (WHO) supporting medical evacuation efforts.
Some patients and their companions were able to exit Gaza directly to Egypt, while others transited through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom border crossing
Israeli authorities approved the travel of only five wounded patients from a list of 27 names submitted to both the Egyptian and Israeli sides, according to Palestinian sources.
Families lined up in the courtyard of Al-Amal Hospital in the south of the Gaza Strip to bid farewell to sick relatives, and their travel companions, heading to Egypt to complete their treatment.
I hope to travel for treatment and return walking like other children – Youssef Awad
A UN News correspondent was on hand as buses began preparing to depart, carrying with them the hope that the wounded would return fully recovered.
A young boy called Youssef Awad, who uses a wheelchair, was optimistic that he would be able to walk and play again.
“I hope to travel for treatment and return walking like other children,” he said.
Another injured child, Ahmed Iyad Abu al-Khair, sat in a wheelchair beside his father, Iyad, awaiting his turn in the medical evacuation convoy heading to the Rafah crossing.
Ahmed’s head was covered with a white bandage, and he appeared unable to move while his father tried to comfort him.
“We hope that decision-makers and the World Health Organization will expedite the process and help us get my son Ahmed to travel to complete his treatment, as every hour he spends here affects his health.”
Injured Palestinians in wheelchairs protest demanding permission to travel abroad for medical treatment.
In a protest reflecting the extent of their despair, dozens of injured Palestinians staged a demonstration near the hospital, sitting in their wheelchairs and demanding an increase in the number of people allowed to travel daily which “should be in the hundreds” instead of 50.
“We have been waiting for the crossing to open since the beginning of the war, and like many others, we have not been lucky,” said Farid al-Qassas, an injured man.
We hope that everyone will hear us and save what remains of these patients – Farid al-Qassas
“In this building alone, there are about 100 patients in need of medical referrals, and the number of wounded waiting to travel reaches about 13,000 patients and injured people. We hope that everyone will hear us and save what remains of these patients.”
The last medical evacuation through the Rafah crossing was in May 2024. Overall, more than 18,500 patients in Gaza, including 4,000 children, are still waiting to access treatment abroad.
“The most effective option would be to resume referrals to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and rehabilitate damaged health facilities in Gaza,” OCHA said.
Until then, UN Member States are urged “to accept more patients so that everyone receives the treatment that they need.”
The agency also stressed that “ultimately, essential humanitarian supplies must enter in sufficient quantities and with fewer restrictions through Rafah and other crossings.”
Between 23-29 January, at least 13,800 pallets of humanitarian aid managed by the UN and its partners were unloaded at crossing points.
Nearly 60 per cent of these shipments contained food, but also shelter items, school supplies, health items, fuel and nutritional kits.
Since the announcement of the ceasefire on 10 October, at least 272,000 pallets of humanitarian goods were unloaded, and 270,000 pallets were collected at the various crossing points.
The single border point with Egypt is a lifeline for the world – including for thousands of seriously ill or injured Palestinians who need medical care outside the enclave, which continues to respect last October’s fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. This development, however, occurs at […]
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
