January 14, 2025 No comments
US: UN rights expert welcomes court ruling reaffirming sex-based protections in education
INTERNATIONAL, 14 January 2025 Human Rights - The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls has welcomed a ruling by a federal district court in the United States that reaffirms sex-based protections in education. Independent rights expert Reem Alsalem hailed the landmark 9 January decision by the Kentucky court declaring the US Department of Education’s regulations implementing the Title IX legislation as unlawful. The ruling extends nationwide. Title IX is a 1972 law to combat sex discrimination in education programmes or activities that receive federal funding. Last April, the Department of Education announced revisions that expand protection to include transgender and non-binary students, among others, on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. ‘A pivotal moment” In the judgement, the court found that the regulations, which redefined the scope...
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January 14, 2025 No comments
World News in Brief: North Gaza under siege, aid to millions in Syria, tensions in Mozambique
INTERNATIONAL, 14 January 2025 Peace and Security - The UN aid coordination office (OCHA) on Tuesday reported further attacks on displacement shelters in Gaza which have been ongoing since 9 January. In his daily briefing in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists that there have been significant casualties reported in Jabalia al Balad and Khan Younis. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities continue to deny UN-led efforts to reach people with vital assistance, he told correspondents. North Gaza The Israeli siege of north Gaza continues, while two attempts by UN teams on Tuesday to reach the Al Awda and Indonesian hospitals to evacuate patients and deliver critical supplies were denied. As critical shortages soar, access to Al Awda, the only hospital still partially functioning in the north, has been...
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January 14, 2025 No comments
2025 agenda: ‘We must not let opportunities pass,’ says UN Assembly President
INTERNATIONAL, 14 January 2025 UN Affairs - The President of the UN General Assembly Philémon Yang presented a detailed vision of his 2025 priorities for the world body on Tuesday, calling it an opportunity for “a new start.” Under the theme Unity in Diversity, he emphasised the need for collective action to address pressing global challenges and deliver tangible progress. Highlighting the mandates entrusted to the 79th Session, he outlined critical events, including the High-Level Meeting to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth and the World Social Summit for Development. Reflecting on these milestones, Mr. Yang said, “these mandates are an integral part of our efforts to address the challenges our world faces.” The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, scheduled for July in Spain, was described as “crucial”...
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January 14, 2025 No comments
UN pledges continued humanitarian support to Ukraine, as war enters fourth year
INTERNATIONAL, 14 January 2025 Humanitarian Aid - The UN’s humanitarian coordinator and refugee chief are in Ukraine this week where they will unveil the latest plans to assist millions impacted by the full-scale Russian invasion. More than 12.7 million people inside Ukraine require aid, as do the more than 6.8 million Ukrainian refugees worldwide. On Tuesday, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher visited the Kharkiv region, located in the east. Support in frontline areas He travelled to the village of Shevchenko, some 30 kilometres from the front lines, and another city, Kupiansk, which is on the front lines. The UN is working with local partners in these areas to provide transport to people living close to the front lines so that they can access basic services. Many are older and...
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January 14, 2025 No comments
Iran: UN experts alarmed as Supreme Court upholds death sentence of Kurdish woman activist
INTERNATIONAL, 14 January 2025 Human Rights - Independent UN human rights experts on Tuesday expressed grave concern over the Iranian Supreme Court's decision to uphold the death sentence of Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish woman activist and social worker. “The charges against Ms. Pakhshan Azizi do not meet the threshold of ‘most serious crimes’ required by international law for the death penalty,” the Human Rights Council-appointed experts stated. “Her death sentence constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law.” Solitary confinement Ms. Azizi was arrested in Tehran on 4 August 2023, by Iranian intelligence services and held in solitary confinement in the notorious Evin Prison for five months. On 23 July 2024, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced her to death for “armed rebellion against the state” and “membership of opposition...
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