Tag: un

State Department Says It’s Denying Visas to Palestinian Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly

The Department of State denied visas to Palestinian leaders to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York City next month and will revoke visas that were previously granted to those individuals.

A statement from a State Department spokesperson said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is both denying and revoking visas from individuals who belong to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the U.N. meeting, which will be held between Sept. 9 and 28.

“It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace,” the statement reads.

The department said that before either “can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism,” and that includes the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas that left more than 1,200 people dead and more than 250 hostages being taken into Gaza.

“The PA must also end its attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns” such as appealing to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), along with attempts to create the recognition of a Palestinian state, the statement added.

The State Department said those actions have “materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks.”

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Washington stands alone at UN Security Council defending manmade famine in Gaza

All but one of the 15 members of the UN Security Council – the US – declared that the famine in Gaza is a “manmade crisis” and warned that using starvation as a weapon of war is prohibited under international law and constitutes a war crime, during a meeting on 27 August.

The 14 council members announced in a statement that they support an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, a significant surge of aid throughout Gaza, and for Israel to immediately and unconditionally lift all restrictions on relief deliveries.

“Famine in Gaza must be stopped immediately,” the statement read. “Time is of the essence. The humanitarian emergency must be addressed without delay and Israel must reverse course.”

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has officially declared famine in Gaza for the first time in a report issued on 22 August, and warned it will likely spread. 

The assessment found that 514,000 Palestinians – nearly a quarter of the enclave’s population – are already experiencing famine, a figure projected to rise to 641,000 by the end of September.

Israel demanded that the IPC retract its findings, dismissing them as false and biased. Tel Aviv claimed the assessment relied on partial data from Hamas and failed to consider what it called a recent influx of food.

At the UN Security Council meeting on Gaza, acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea also attacked the IPC report, saying it “doesn’t pass the test on either.” 

She acknowledged that hunger is widespread and that humanitarian needs “must be met,” but framed addressing those needs as a US priority rather than endorsing the IPC’s declaration.

Since its creation in 2004, the IPC has declared famine only five times, most recently in Sudan last year. Its decision to apply the same classification to Gaza underscores the severity of the crisis.

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Venezuela Asks U.N. to Help Stop American Anti-Drug Efforts in Caribbean

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil on Tuesday called for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to help “restore common sense” and stop the United States’ ongoing efforts to combat drug cartels in Caribbean international waters — which the Venezuelan narco-state deems a “threat.”

Gil met with U.N. Resident Coordinator in Venezuela Gianluca Rampolla on Tuesday. According to the regime’s main propaganda outlet, VTV, the officials “debated the threats facing Latin America and the Caribbean from the United States.”  Secretary-General Guterres has not publicly commented on Venezuela’s request at press time.

“We request the support of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to restore common sense. In this regard, we share our concerns about the deployment of US military units and even nuclear weapons in the Caribbean, which threatens peace,” Gil wrote on his official Telegram account.

“In the face of false narratives, used as a pretext to justify aggression against Venezuela, we confirm that the 2025 World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) has ratified Venezuela as a territory free of illicit crops. Furthermore, the efforts of the Bolivarian Government have been duly certified by the UNDOC,” he continued.

Gil’s meeting with Rampolla and his request to Guterres come days after the administration of President Donald Trump increased its efforts to combat drug trafficking in the region and curb the flow of drugs entering the United States. Reports published this month indicated that the U.S. deployed three Aegis guided-missile destroyers and reportedly “about 4,000 sailors and Marines” to Caribbean international waters to fight against local drug trafficking organizations. Subsequent reports published this week detailed that the United States deployed the USS Lake Erie guided missile cruiser and the USS Newport News, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, to reinforce the U.S.’s ongoing efforts. Both are reportedly expected to arrive in the region by early next week.

Socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and members of his authoritarian regime have condemned the United States’ ongoing drug-fighting efforts in the Caribbean and have repeatedly insisted, without evidence, that the United States’s actions are instead part of a purported plot to “invade” Venezuela and oust Maduro from power.

Maduro is actively wanted by the United States on multiple narco-terrorism charges and stands accused of being a leading figure of the Cartel of the Suns, a U.S.-identified Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) led by top leading members of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and the Venezuelan military. Interior Minister and long-suspected drug lord Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López also stand accused by U.S. authorities of leading the Cartel of the Suns and are wanted on multiple narco-terrorism charges. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced this month that the United States doubled its bounty on information that can lead to Maduro’s arrest from $25 million to $50 million.

In recent days, Maduro has ordered a series of “preparations” for the alleged American “invasion” and launched a campaign to enlist civilians into the Bolivarian Militia that local and international outlets widely reported as a failure. On Tuesday, Defense Minister López claimed that Venezuela would also deploy “large ships” to “combat drug trafficking” in Caribbean waters.

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Kinky secrets of UN trans expert REVEALED: Australian activist plugs bondage, bestiality, nudism, drugs, and tax-funded sex-change ops – so why is he writing health advice for the world body?

A transgender member of a new UN panel that’s drafting global health rules has a kinky track record in everything from bestiality to bondage, drugs and nudism, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Teddy Cook, a female-to-male trans Australian activist, started work this month on the World Health Organization‘s 20-expert body, drafting care guidelines for trans and non-binary people.

Cook, 45, who describes himself as a ‘professional queer, man of trans experience,’ has a controversial backstory.

He’s advocated for taxpayer-funded surgeries for all trans Australians, and worked on a study about trans people having better sex when they’re high on drugs.

Cook’s social media posts are even more revealing.

He’s posted about everything from public nudity to bondage parties, trans orgies and even a photo of a man apparently having sex with a dog.

These revelations should not necessarily exclude Cook from work at the UN.

But, for many, his antics are too smutty for a strait-laced intergovernmental body.

They also reinforce concerns about WHO’s trans health panel, which met for the first time in Geneva this month.

Critics say the group — which is made up of trans campaigners and advocates — is biased.

One trans activist member has already left the panel amid controversy, while another has been exposed for sharing X-rated Grindr hookup posts.

Cook and the WHO did not answer DailyMail.com’s request for comment.

Cook is director for LGBTQ+ community health for ACON, a community group in Sydney.

He famously addressed the New South Wales parliament in 2021, saying trans people deserve ‘dignity’ and are not a ‘threat.’

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UN urges accountability over Syrian government ‘atrocities’ in Druze city of Suwayda

The head of the UN Human Rights Office called on 18 July for Syria’s interim government to ensure accountability and justice for killings and rights violations in the southern city of Suwayda, home to members of the Druze religious minority.

Armed Bedouin fighters and soldiers from Syria’s army and internal security forces invaded the Suwayda earlier this week. Local Druze militias defended the city, while Israel launched airstrikes against Syrian government forces before a ceasefire was declared.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said it had received credible reports of human rights violations, including summary executions, kidnappings, and destruction of private property by security forces and individuals linked to the Syrian government, including Bedouin militiamen. Druze militiamen reportedly carried out some summary executions of Bedouin civilians in response.

“This bloodshed and the violence must stop, and the protection of all people must be the utmost priority, in line with international human rights law,” OHCHR High Commissioner Volker Turk said in a statement.

In one incident recorded on video from 15 July, at least 13 Druze were executed at a family gathering by gunmen linked to the Syrian government, led by interim President and former ISIS commander Ahmad al-Sharaa. Another six men were summarily executed near their homes the same day, the OHCHR said.

“My Office has received accounts of distressed Syrians who are living in fear for their lives and those of their loved ones,” Turk said.

Residents speaking with Reuters “described friends and neighbors being shot at close range in their homes or in the streets. They said the killings were carried out by Syrian troops, identified by their fatigues and the insignia on them.”

“The violence worsened sharply after the arrival of government forces,” Reuters reported, citing Suwayda residents, two reporters on the ground, and a monitoring group.

“I can’t keep up with the calls coming in now about the dead,” said Kenan Azzam, a dentist from Suwayda who spoke to the British newspaper by phone.

He said his friend, an agricultural engineer named Anis Nasser, had been taken from his home and executed, adding, “Today, they found his dead body in a pile of bodies in Suwayda city.”

Syrian journalist Wael Essam reported that, according to his sources, a massacre at the National Hospital in Suwayda was carried out by members of Ansar al-Tawhid (Division 82) against wounded Druze militants and accompanying civilians.

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UN Launches Task Force to Combat Global “Disinformation” Threat

The United Nations has unveiled its first Global Risk Report, placing what it terms “mis- and disinformation” among the most serious threats facing the world.

Tucked into the report is the announcement of a new task force, formed to address how unauthorized narratives might disrupt the UN’s ability to carry out its programs, particularly its centerpiece initiative, the 2030 Agenda.

Rather than encouraging open discourse or transparency, the organization has taken a route that centers on managing what information gets seen and heard.

While the language used suggests a concern for public welfare, the actual emphasis lies on shielding the UN’s agenda from interference.

According to the report, survey respondents that included member states, NGOs, private companies, and other groups overwhelmingly called for joint government action and multistakeholder coalitions to deal with the highlighted risks.

Yet there is no clear endorsement of more open communication or free expression. The dominant solution appears to be top-down control over public narratives.

This newly established task force has a single focus. Its job is to assess how so-called mis- and disinformation affect the UN’s ability to deliver on its goals.

The report does not describe how this benefits the public or strengthens democratic values. Instead, the team’s mission is about insulating UN operations from disruption, particularly as they pertain to the Sustainable Development Goals.

The SDGs, which make up the foundation of the 2030 Agenda, touch nearly every aspect of governance and development, from climate to education to healthcare.

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Baby Formula Runs Out in Gaza, Newborns Face Imminent Risk of Death Amid Israeli Blockade: UNFPA

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) warned on Monday that hundreds of newborns in incubators at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis are at imminent risk of death due to a severe shortage of baby formula, as Israel continues to block the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.

In a post on X, the UN agency said, “Infant formula has completely run out in the Gaza Strip, and they are at risk of death.”

On Thursday, two infants were announced dead due to a lack of medicine and nutrition, especially baby formula, at the Nasser Hospital, where lead doctors have been making demands to key figures, organisations and authorities to let in essential types of baby formula and other medical necessities to ensure the wellbeing of mothers and their children.
A total of 18,741 children in Gaza have been admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition since the beginning of this year, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). This comes amid a months-long Israeli blockade, with Gaza’s entire population now facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
In the first two weeks of June alone, there were 1,648 new admissions, with 17 of the patients suffering from complications, it said.
“The current volume and pace of deliveries remain critically insufficient to meet the needs of Gaza’s entire population, which is facing high levels of acute food insecurity,” OCHA said.

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UN report calls on countries to ban ‘gender transitions’ for children

A report presented on June 25 by the United Nations’ special rapporteur on violence against women warns of emerging forms of sex-based violence, including medical procedures related to “gender transitions” in minors.

“Allowing children access to such procedures not only violates their right to safety, security and freedom from violence, but also disregards their human right to the highest standards of health and goes against their best interests,” the report says.

Titled “Sex-based violence against women and girls: new frontiers and emerging issues,” the report acknowledges the “concerted international push to delink the definition of men and women from their biological sex,” which then essentially erases the legal definition of a woman.

According to the report, redefining legal categories of “man” and “woman” apart from biological sex may result in the erasure of women’s legal identity and protections.

“The erasure of sex as a distinct vector of analysis within law and policy obscures the unique vulnerabilities of females, increasing the risk of exploitation,” the report says.

The report associates this erasure with increased vulnerability to exploitation, particularly in the context of medical “transitions” among children.

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Spies For Empire: Beware UN-Affiliated Organisations

On June 13th, the Zionist entity carried out an unprovoked, criminal military strike on Iran. While its impact was limited, with Tehran’s counterattack far more devastating, Israel’s targeted assassination of a number of Iranian nuclear scientists indicates Tel Aviv knew their identities and locations with some precision. Coincidentally, a day prior to the entity’s broadside, Press TV published documents indicating the International Atomic Energy Agency previously provided Israeli intelligence the names of several Iranian nuclear scientists, who were subsequently killed.

Other documents indicate IAEA chief Rafael Grossi enjoys a close, clandestine relationship with Israeli officials, and has frequently acted upon their orders. The files are part of a wider trove obtained by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry, containing unprecedented insights into Tel Aviv’s secret, illegal nuclear weapons capability, and its relationships with Europe, the US and other countries, among other bombshell material. The tranche could well shed further light on the IAEA’s brazen, murderous collusion with the entity.

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UN Calls for “Climate Misinformation” to be Criminalised

“False claims obstructing climate action” – like claiming the Spanish blackout was caused by renewables

Climate misinformation turning crisis into catastrophe, report says

False claims obstructing climate action, say researchers, amid calls for climate lies to be criminalised

Damian Carrington Environment editorThu 19 Jun 2025 21.00 AEST

Rampant climate misinformation is turning the crisis into a catastrophe, according to the authors of a new report.

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The researchers found climate denialism has evolved into campaigns focused on discrediting solutions, such as the false claims that renewable energy caused the recent massive blackout in Spain.

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Climate misinformation – the term used by the report for both deliberate and inadvertent falsehoods – is of increasing concern. Last Thursday, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and climate change, Elisa Morgera, called for misinformation and greenwashing by the fossil fuel industry to be criminalised. On Saturday, Brazil, host of the upcoming Cop30 climate summit, will rally nations behind a separate UN initiative to crack down on climate misinformation.

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