EU mobilises aid to combat wildfires in North Macedonia and Bulgaria

In response to urgent requests for assistance in their fight against severe wildfires received from North Macedonia and Bulgaria, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated. North Macedonia is receiving 1 helicopter from Serbia, 2 helicopters from Slovenia, 2 aircrafts and 1 helicopter from Türkiye, and 1 aircraft from the rescEU firefighting fleet from […]

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DPR Korea: Forced labour is institutionalized and dangerous, warns UN rights office

In a report based on 183 interviews with victims and witnesses of forced labour who managed to escape DPRK and now live abroad, OHCHR cited one person’s testimony that if a daily work quota was not met, workers would be beaten and have their food ration cut. “These people are forced to work in intolerable […]

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US Supreme Court Decision Undermines Right to Housing

The United States Supreme Court decision last month in Grants Pass v. Johnson gives local governments across the country the authority to ticket, arrest, and punish unhoused people for simply existing in public spaces. The ruling undermines the right to adequate housing in the US; it is also profoundly cruel and risks an increase in […]

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EU commemorates the victims of the global climate crisis

Today, the EU commemorates the victims of the global climate crisis, at a ceremony held in Brussels attended by Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič and representatives of the Belgian government.   On this second annual EU Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis, we honour those lost to and affected by the […]

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Deputy Secretary Campbell’s Travel to Ghana, Gabon, Senegal, and the United Kingdom

Deputy Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell will travel to Ghana, Gabon, Senegal, and the United Kingdom from July 14 to July 19. In Ghana, Deputy Secretary Campbell is scheduled to meet with President Nana Akufo-Addo to underscore the importance of the U.S.-Ghana partnership to advance democracy and security in West Africa and to reinforce […]

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World News in Brief: Concern mounts over fate of El Fasher, call for consensus over South Sudan elections, indigenous rights in Brazil

Residential areas, markets, hospitals and sites holding displaced people are all being impacted, he told reporters at the daily briefing in New York. As many as 329,000 people were displaced during the past three months from the last remaining city under Government control in Darfur, according to the UN migration agency (IOM). Civilians must be […]

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In Guinea, Fears of Torture of Forcibly Disappeared Opponents

On the evening of July 9, three members of the opposition coalition, National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (Front national pour la défense de la Constitution, FNDC), Oumar Sylla, (known as Foniké Menguè), Mamadou Billo Bah, and Mohamed Cissé, were watching football at Menguè’s home in Conakry, Guinea’s capital, when security forces forced their […]

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First Person: Filipino elderly ex-prisoner’s joy of ‘sleeping and eating’

According to Government figures, the number of inmates are four times over the planned capacity, making the Philippines one of the most overcrowded penal systems in the world alongside countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti and Uganda. But now the Government, with the support of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime […]

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Iran: New President Should Confront Rights Abuses

(Beirut) – Incoming Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian should confront widespread rights violations by government agencies, including Iran’s security forces and the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said today. On July 5, 2024, Pezeshkian defeated Saeed Jalili in the second round of Iran’s presidential elections.  “Incoming Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian should confront Iran’s egregious human rights abuses, including […]

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The EU releases close to €1 million in funding in response to Hurricane Beryl in the Caribbean

In response to the impact of Hurricane Beryl in the Caribbean, the EU has released up to €850,000 in humanitarian aid, to address the most urgent needs of the affected populations. The response includes providing emergency shelter and cash assistance for people that have lost their homes or livelihoods, as well as healthcare and water […]

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