Israel’s large-scale operation in the north continues, OCHA said in a daily news update, counting 27 of the deaths “in which lethal warlike tactics were deployed,” according to humanitarian workers, including 10 killed by airstrikes.
“Four members of the Israeli Defense Forces were killed by Palestinians in Hebron and Jenin provinces during the same period,” OCHA reported.
UN humanitarian workers called on Israeli forces to “adhere to international law enforcement standards, which require lethal force and firearms to be a last resort and used only against imminent threat of death or serious injury.”
OCHA also stressed that humanitarian access should always be facilitated.
Since October 7, Israeli forces have tightened restrictions on movement in the Israeli-controlled area of the city of Hebron, denying thousands of Palestinians access to their livelihoods and services, OCHA said.
“These restrictions further exacerbate the already difficult living conditions there.”
Health crisis in Syria
OCHA also warned on Wednesday that half of all health facilities in northwestern Syria – the opposition’s last stronghold – are at risk of closure by the end of the year.
Services are being cut due to a lack of funding. This year, the appeal raised just 26 percent of the $4.1 billion needed to help nearly 11 million people nationwide.
Venezuela: Human rights experts raise serious concerns over alleged violations surrounding presidential elections
A group of independent human rights experts said on Wednesday expressed his serious concern over allegations of serious human rights violations in connection with the July 28 presidential elections in Venezuela.
In a statement, more than 20 special rapporteurs and human rights observers noted that groups appointed to monitor the controversial elections, including election observers invited by the government, “reported a lack of transparency and veracity.”
“We found a high level of defencelessness among civilians, human rights defenders, those involved in social and community work, journalists and all those perceived as opposition,” the UN said. Human Rights Council-experts thus appointed.
“The information received shows that this situation occurs in a context characterised by the arbitrary use of the criminal justice system by the Public Prosecution Service against these groups, the criminalisation of human rights activism, widespread corruption, impunity and the absence of an independent judiciary capable of investigating serious human rights violations.”
Long list of violations
They noted that a series of violations were observed before, during and after the July elections, including arbitrary arrests, excessive use of force against protesters, unlawful executions, enforced disappearances, intimidation, unlawful dismissals, and prosecution and trial of political opponents.
Many citizens “mobilized peacefully to express their dissatisfaction with the electoral irregularities,” the press release said.
Experts have received reports of more than 1,300 arbitrary arrests, including of children, adolescents, older people, people with disabilities, indigenous peoples, women and LGBTIQ+ people. There have also been reports of enforced disappearances.
At least 21 people have been killed, reportedly by gunfire from non-state actors backed by security forces.
“There is evidence of a systematic pattern of human rights violations that neglect the full enjoyment of fundamental rights and increase the risk to life of anyone critical of the government,” the experts said.
Over the past five years, experts have at least 22 letters to the government, which shows a general context of systematic and serious human rights violations. Most have not received a response, they said.
Special Rapporteurs serve in their individual capacity, independent of the UN system or any national government. They are not UN employees and receive no salary.
Public debt bubble swells to historic $97 trillion
Global government debt has nearly doubled since 2010, reaching a historic $97 trillion in 2023. according to new data of the UN trade and development body, UNINFORMED.
Rising interest rates put further pressure on government budgets, especially in developing countries.
Today, more than 3.3 billion people live in countries where more money is spent on interest payments on debt than on education or health care, underscoring the urgent need for accurate and timely debt data.
of the UNCTAD A world of debt dashboarddeveloped in collaboration with the UN Regional Economic Commissions, it provides policymakers, researchers, journalists and the public with accessible data to understand the complexities of global, regional and national debt.
The dashboard covers 18 key indicators across 188 countries, allowing users to assess the current debt situation, compare it with other countries worldwide and observe changes over time.
According to UNCTAD, intuitive filters and interactive charts make it easy to customize searches and explore specific areas of interest.