"FORTY" · 총 23건
필터 보기현재 지수
50.3
0 = 부정 우세
50 = 중립
100 = 긍정 우세
최근 7일 기준 87,619건을 분석한 결과, 뉴스 심리지수는 50.2(균형)입니다. 긍정 4,360건(5.0%)·중립 81,113건(92.6%)·부정 2,146건(2.4%)이며, 중립 비중이 뚜렷하게 높습니다. 성향 지수는 종합 14.7(중도 균형)입니다.
Forty-nine people died of dehydration in a remote part of the Sahara desert in north-west Niger after the truck transporting them broke down, authorities said on Thursday.
Forty-one years ago, the late singer, songwriter, and education activist Whitney Houston urged us to teach children and let them lead the way. Decades later, some believe that this means instructing kids to use scissors as forks; teaching them that zookeepers can sweep under water; and leading them to believe that magical, mystical, rainbow-hunting unicorns […]
Forty-nine people died of thirst in Niger when a truck broke down in a remote part of the Sahara desert, leaving its passengers stranded without water. Two survivors managed to walk 50 kilometres through the desert to a water source and then to the town of Assamaka, where they alerted authorities.
On 4 June, 1986, exactly forty years ago, history was made when the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led by a humble, soft-spoken, justice-minded, and lion-hearted Alhaji Ali Chiroma, decided to embarked on a nation-wide protest-march. I have written on the decision of NLC to embark on the protest-march in my Premium Times article of 10 […] The post Forty years after the abortion of the NLC June 4 protest-march, By Ahmed Aminu-Ramatu Yusuf appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
The Delhi Gymkhana Club was born in 1913, raised for British officers and the colonial set, and was later inherited by bureaucrats, politicians, and the comfortably connected. None of that pedigree could save it, however, from the law. Last week India told it to vacate the land by June 5. The government read a single clause from the club’s own lease, named a public purpose, and issued the notice. The land returns to the state as do the buildings on it. The club says it will fight the decision in court, and it may. But the order is out and the clock has started. In Pakistan, the Lahore Gymkhana was born in the same year, is grander than Delhi’s and also sits on land worth a king’s ransom. But no notice to vacate has been issued. These are the facts from the government documents that explain why. India has ordered the Delhi Gymkhana Club to vacate its premises by June 5 — Credits: BBC 38 paisas a kanal The Lahore Gymkhana sits on state land ringed by The Mall, Jail Road, and Zafar Ali Road. There is no pricier address in the province. Its 1913 lease stretches back to the Raj, and has been repeatedly extended in 1921, 1960, and, in haste in 1996, five years before its expiry. This time it was extended for 50 years to cover the years 2000 to 2050. The gymkhana estate sprawls over 112 acres and the club holds three kanal and 16 marlas more than the record of rights allows — a tiny trespass that nobody thought to note until now. But that is not all. Inside Lawrence Gardens (Bagh-e-Jinnah), the Gymkhana keeps an exclusive cricket ground on three-and-a-half acres of the Agriculture Department. This was never part of the lease, there is no grant for it and no rent is paid. No paper explains how a public garden was fenced off for a private game. For the main estate, the club pays Rs5000 a year in rent. Not per kanal. In total. That comes to Rs417 a month, or under fifty paisas per kanal, for some of the most valuable earth in Pakistan. How little is Rs5000? Consider it against the government’s upper commercial rate. Total land 1,091 kanals 21,820 marla Market value 1,091 × Rs200 million/kanal Rs218.2 billion Fair annual rent 21,820 marla × Rs200,000/marla Rs4.364 billion The land is worth Rs218 billion so fair rent would be about Rs4.36 billion a year. Under the government’s 2023 policy, clubs can pay a tenth of market rent, but this would still come to Rs400 million a year. The club pays Rs5000. For years, the land’s real value sat behind a nominal colonial rent. It became visible when market figures were placed on the record. The admissions of guilt The club filed its defence with the Assembly admitting the buildings came after the lease, which said the government had to approve construction. Over the decades the club built its clubhouse, golf clubhouse, pool, two guest blocks, health club, administration block, mosque and a café in 2012. The Board of Revenue searched for permissions but none were on record. The club has not even paid its token Rs5,000 rent. The Additional Deputy Commissioner’s office sent a notice, dated 26 August 2020, saying that rent had not bee paid since 2011. Then the money. The club swears no public funds reach it but then lists them in the next breath: Rs2 million from President Zia in 1985, Rs2 million from PM Nawaz Sharif the same year, Rs50 million from CM Pervaiz Elahi in 2006, Rs10 million from CM Shehbaz Sharif in 2014. Four heads of government, four gifts from the public purse, to a private club. And who is the club for? Its rulebook answers. Every civil servant of Grade 18 and above may join for a token fee, and so may every commissioned officer of the armed forces. The other way to become a member is to inherit membership. The capture is not an accident of history. It is written into the founding charter. The roll of ordinary members, meanwhile, the club guards as confidential as if it were a list belonging to a Freemason Lodge. The instinct to maintain secrecy runs deep. When citizens used the Right to Information law to ask for the lease and the donor records, the club refused, and carried its refusal to the Lahore High Court, pleading, without blushing, that as a public limited company it was no “public body” and owed the public nothing. In January 2023, the court dismissed the plea. The land belongs to the state, the judge held. Handing over land worth billions of rupees almost free was an enormous benefit and rent of Rs5,000 a year “cannot be even termed as any rate whatsoever.” The same shrug was then offered to the Assembly when it asked who the club’s members were. Lahore Gymkhana — Credits: Express Tribune Institutionalising the giveaway The Gymkhana is no aberration. It is the template: in May 2023 the state made the template law. That month, a caretaker government in Punjab, an unelected stopgap whose only charge was to hold an election, approved a sweeping new policy. It had no mandate to make long-term land decisions but it made one anyway. On May 10 2023, the Colonies Department opened the door to hand prime state land to gymkhana clubs across the province, and fixed their rent at a tenth of market value. The discount was sewn into the rules. The Board of Revenue reports the harvest. The figure that matters is what the clubs actually pay, after the 90 per cent is shaved away: Rs20,000 an acre a year at Dera Ghazi Khan, Mandi Bahauddin, and Chiniot; Rs50,000 at Vehari, Sahiwal, and Dera Ghazi Khan; Rs60,000 at Kamalpur Syedaan in Attock; Rs100,000 at Saddar Gymkhana, Gujranwala; Rs120,000 at Jhang; Rs140,000 at Jhelum and Gujranwala City. An acre of prime city land, for the price of a secondhand motorcycle, every year. And the final irony: this generous policy, the Board says, does not reach the Lahore Gymkhana, because its lease is older. Elite enclaves on public land The Gymkhana is not the only refuge for the officer class in Lahore. Inside the GOR, that broad expanse of prime central land set aside for officialdom, stands the Punjab Civil Officers Mess on Tollington Road. At GOR’s gate stands the colonial Punjab Club. A short walk off, the Lahore Polo Club keeps its grounds and stables inside the Race Course, public parkland surrendered to horses and a handful of players. An exclusive school for the male heirs of the elite, Aitchison College (Chief’s College), spreads over 200 acres. None of these entities bought their land. It is public land, held in trust, enjoyed by the few. Islamabad tells the same story more starkly. The Islamabad Club, sprawled across 352 acres of CDA land, pays about three rupees an acre a month as its gates remain closed to ordinary citizens. The Gun and Country Club rose up on land meant for the Pakistan Sports Board; the Supreme Court declared it illegal in 2018 and ordered the land to be taken back, yet years later auditors could not trace some 38 acres, and the club sat on roughly 37 with no deed, no lease, no licence at all. The court said it aloud: there was no land in Islamabad for a public hospital [for the poor], but there was land aplenty for clubs for the rich. And the hunger has not eased. In Multan, the district administration moves to slice 15 acres off the Central Cotton Research Institute, founded in 1970, the cradle of more than forty cotton varieties, including the region’s first virus-free strain, to feed another gymkhana, while the country’s cotton reserves sit at a record low and we spend hard currency importing the very crop the institute exists to improve. The Pakistan Business Forum has written to the chief minister to stop it. The clubs took the parks. Now they reach into the seed bank. There has been an attempt to quantify this. In 2021, the UNDP put a number on the privileges captured by Pakistan’s elite. Cheap land and capital, tax breaks and soft inputs came to about $17.4 billion a year, which is nearly 6pc of the whole economy. The Gymkhana is merely a place where one may stand and watch the transfer happen: a 112 acres, for Rs5000. When the same hands value, grant, and enjoy the land This mechanism endures not through sloth but through strategy, as the actors make clear. The land belongs to the state. The men who grant it are senior civil servants in the Colonies Department, the Board of Revenue, the office of the Deputy Commissioner. The men who set the value of the land, and thus decide the rent, are with the same revenue service. And the men who enjoy the clubs are, by rule, civil servants of Grade 18 and above and senior officers of the armed forces. The same hands own the land, price the land, rent it, and carry the membership cards. When one cadre handles every aspect of a deal, its low price is no blunder. It is the purpose. No one at that table has any interest in making public land fetch a public price, for all of them gain from the opposite. The officer who would raise the rent, enforce the breach, or cancel the lease must act against his service, his colleagues, and likely his own leisure. That is what makes Sohaib Butt’s report so rare, and so telling. It took a man willing to go against the grain of his service to do the simplest thing: write down what the land is worth. This is the truth worth stating plainly. In Pakistan, real power does not change hands at the ballot box. Governments arrive and depart; the bureaucracy and elites abide. And on the matter of state land for clubs, those who never leave office and those who enjoy the clubs are one and the same. That is why such a file scarcely moves. And it is why it matters so greatly who, in the end, forced it into the open. Nestled within the Bagh-e-Jinnah, is one of the most picturesque cricket arenas of the world — Credits: Dawn archives Two-tiered justice The state can, of course, move on land with great speed if it wants. Take Islamabad, the capital that prides itself on order. For three months its bulldozers have flattened katchi abadis or the informal colonies where the city’s gardeners and nannies, washerwomen and labourers have lived for a generation. Around 25,000 people were driven out of Mulism Colony in Bari Imam alone. Settlements a quarter-century old, Rimsha Colony in H-9 and the largely Christian Allama Iqbal Colony in G-7, were marked for the same fate, along with the ancient villages of Saidpur and Nurpur Shahan.The state’s housing policy counts 60 such settlements in the city, home to between 300,000 and half a million souls; the CDA recognises barely 10 as lawful and brands the rest squatters. And here is the part that should silence the room: a Supreme Court order from 2015 was passed after the merciless clearance of the I-11 settlement left 25,000 people homeless. It stayed the summary evictions altogether. The bulldozers came regardless. The same legal system that cannot dislodge an unpaid colonial lease in 18 months had no trouble dislodging the poor in open defiance of its highest court. Punjab is no kinder about informality. It is just quieter about it. For three decades, it has promised to regularise its katchi abadis, and for three decades that promise has mostly stayed on paper. There is a law to sanction the work done and an agency to get it done but the number of settlements grows faster than the lists of “regularised” ones. Surveys are started and abandoned. Notifications are issued and forgotten. The poor who put up their housing on the edges of Lahore and Faisalabad and Rawalpindi live out their years in limbo, always one bureaucrat’s signature away from eviction. Three decades is a lifetime. A child born in one of these colonies has grown, married, and had children, and the family still cannot say for certain that the ground beneath their feet is legally theirs. Meanwhile, the new law enforcer is punishing and swift. The Punjab government created the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA), to clear what it deemed to be encroachments. It is aided by deputy and assistant commissioners and a uniformed force with black Vigos. Through 2025 PERA hired thousands of staff and opened stations across Lahore and beyond, as its drives targeted the small folk. Traders protested its methods: a shop photographed in the evening, sealed the next morning, fined Rs10,000 to Rs25,000, kept shut until the owner paid. Thella wallahs, vendors, kiosks punished for setting up on a footpath. But 112 acres of the city’s finest land, held on a dead lease, built over without leave, exempted by a rule the board invented, is “legitimate possession,” defended for generations. The bulldozer works swiftly for the weak but stalls for the strong. What Rs218 billion could buy instead of membership It is worth listing what Rs218 billion would buy in a place that cannot pay for medicine. In 2025-26, Punjab set aside Rs630.5 billion for its health sector, and proudly announced that for the first time this included Rs79.5 billion for free medicine. And yet Dawn reported that Rawalpindi’s three public hospitals (Holy Family, Benazir Bhutto, and the Teaching Hospital) were given a fraction of Rs4.5 billion they asked for. Their vendors are refusing to deliver stocks until the bills are cleared. The Lahore Gymkhana land, on the other hand, is worth Rs218 billion, or three times the free medicine funding. A single elite golf-and-dining estate, that pays Rs5000 in rent, is worth more than the tab for medicines in a province of 120 million people. The Assembly did its job It took an elected Assembly more than one attempt to set this right. The matter was brought up at the last session but did not move ahead for “mysterious” reasons. The House pressed further. A member moved an adjournment motion and the Speaker called it out: this was elite capture of state land. The Speaker formed a committee and for the first time in history, opened its hearings to the public and TV cameras. The House’s members killed it at the first sitting by placing on the record, all of them, that they sought no membership of the club, only the public interest. In a few weeks they ferreted out from their government two documents that settled everything. The first was the valuation, ADC(R) report (shown above), which turned Rs5,000 into a scandal by comparison. The second document ended the argument. The Law and Parliamentary Affairs Department gave a clean opinion on what the state may do: Clause 6 of the 1996 lease lets the government end the lease at any time, on six months’ notice. Clause 8 says that when it ends, the club is owed nothing for any building it raised. The Board of Revenue added that the state is bound to resume the land when public purpose requires it, or when the lease is broken. India reclaimed its gymkhana land by reading one clause of a lease. Punjab’s lawyers have now confirmed the province holds the same power to take back the Rs218 billion estate, with every building on it, on six months’ notice, and pay nothing. Credit for this denouement goes to the House of elected representatives. What they cannot do alone is sign the order. That pen rests with the executive, which is the same bureaucracy that would rather keep the file shut. Inside Lahore Gymkhana Cricket Museum, the first of its kind in Pakistan — Credits: Dawn archives Options The remedy is not exotic. The simplest one is to cancel the lease. The second option is to take back the land for public use, which is what Delhi did. We don’t need to look far to find precedent. When the Royal Palm Club in Lahore defaulted on its lease of Railways land, the state took the land back and pulled down structures. Indeed, members on both benches have said if it can be done to a club on railway land in Lahore, it can be done to a club on nazul (state) land in Lahore. The most durable option is a legal statute to dedicate the gymkhana estate to a fixed public use. And one use should unite the benches. The estate is a manicured, thirsty green in one of the most poisoned cities on earth. Take it back. Grow a native forest on it the fast and thick Miyawaki way and plan a park. Such greenery traps the dust, cools the air, and pushes back against the smog that sends people to our hospitals each winter. A golf course serves a hundred men. A forest would serve millions. We say the law protects everyone alike but we must admit it does not. The thella wallah is presumed to be illegal and is not given time to prove otherwise. The Lahore Gymkhana Club is presumed to be lawful no matter what the file says. Delhi has shown us the way. There was never a question of what the law allowed if elite land had to be taken back. The Assembly has proven this twice and put proof on record. What remains is the will to choose a public forest or park over a private fairway, the many over the few, the medicine over the membership. The House has spoken. The executive has not. For now, the silence belongs to the people holding the pen, and everyone can see why they would rather not sign.
A public hearing looking at how the Defence Forces dealt with complaints of abuse over a forty-year period is under way.
This year’s edition will feature about 100 student short films from 20 countries, as well as Israeli competitions, master classes, industry events, special screenings, and outdoor programs.
Israel’s flag flew over the medieval fortress on Beaufort in Lebanon on Sunday as it warned Lebanese civilians to evacuate a large area of the south of the country ahead of stepped-up ground operations. The Associated Press noted that Israel’s capture of the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle and its strategic ridge in southern Lebanon was Israel’s deepest incursion into the country in 26 years. Shelling was audible and smoke rose from the surrounding area as the invading army’s banner was seen by AFP above the castle, which Israeli forces famously used as a base during their previous two-decade-long occupation. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said troops had captured the historic strongpoint, which commands sweeping views of south Lebanon, as they expanded their ground operations, which Lebanon’s prime minister has condemned as a “scorched earth” policy. “Forty-four years after the heroic Battle of Beaufort, and on this day commemorating the soldiers who fell in the First Lebanon War, our troops have returned to the summit of Beaufort and once again raised the Israeli flag there,” Katz said, in a social media post. “Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and my direction, the IDF expanded the operations in Lebanon, crossed the Litani River, and captured the Beaufort Ridge — one of the most important strategic points for defending the communities of the Galilee and safeguarding the security of our forces.” Describing the capture as a “major gain for Israel”, AP said Israeli troops previously captured the castle in 1982 and held it until they withdrew from Lebanon in 2000. It elaborated that the 1982 capture of the castle from the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) was a “major victory for the Israeli military” led by then-defence minister Ariel Sharon, which “pushed all the way north and occupied Beirut” at the time. The push to Beaufort came as the Israeli military issued a sweeping displacement order to areas south of the Zahrani River, north of the Litani and around 40 kilometres from the border, claiming that it was targeting Hezbollah. “Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, facilities, or combat means endangers their life. Any building used by Hezbollah for military purposes may become subject to targeting!” Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee warned in a social media post. ‘Collective punishment’ “A significant number of IDF ground soldiers commenced offensive operations aimed at expanding the Forward Defence Line… The operation is currently expanding to additional areas,” the Israeli military said. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had accused Israel on Saturday of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy and collective punishment” in the south, urging a halt to the fighting and warning it was “destroying towns and villages, and forcing their inhabitants into exile”. Military delegations from both countries held security talks in Washington on Friday, with more US-brokered negotiations planned next week. Salam said the outcome of the negotiations was “not guaranteed”, but called them “the least costly path for our country and our people”. A truce to halt the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah officially began on April 17, but has never been observed. Both Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other daily of violating the ceasefire and justify their attacks by the other’s alleged breaches. A US statement issued after Friday’s Israel-Lebanon talks made no mention of the truce, but said the “productive military-to-military discussions” would inform next week’s political meeting. Hezbollah vehemently opposes the direct talks. On Saturday, the armed group said it launched multiple attacks targeting northern Israel and clashed with Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon. ‘Drone death’ Hezbollah said it was confronting Israeli forces around the outskirts of the towns of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, Yohmor al-Shaqif and Dibbine, adding that the troops “had not yet succeeded in taking control of the towns”. The Israeli military told AFP that more than 25 projectiles were launched from Lebanon towards Israel on Saturday, while air alert sirens sounded in the northern cities of Karmiel and Safed for the first time since the ceasefire, according to the army’s Home Front Command. Public broadcaster Kan aired footage shared on social media showing rockets falling into the sea off Israel’s Nahariya, near the border, sending beachgoers fleeing. The Israeli army also said on Sunday that one of its soldiers had been killed a day prior by a Hezbollah explosive drone, bringing to 25 the number of Israeli military deaths in Lebanon since early March. The Lebanese health ministry says that Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,371 people since March 2.
Cell phone video captured passengers scrambling out of a charter bus that crashed into six vehicles, killing at least five, among them children, in Virginia early on Friday. Forty-four others are injured, with at least one in critical condition. Lilia Luciano reports.
The Democratic candidate in the Texas Senate race has a slight edge over his Republican opponent in a new poll released on Friday. Forty-seven percent of likely general election voters in the state backed state Rep. James Talarico (D) in the poll from Texas Public Opinion Research, compared to 44 percent for Texas Attorney General...
MANILA, Philippines — Forty-four areas across the country are forecast to reach dangerous heat indices on Saturday, the state weather bureau said. In its 5 p.m. heat index forecast on Friday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that Baler, Aurora is expected to experience the highest heat index at 46°C. This
Forty years ago this month, Vancouver welcomed the world. And while our coastal neighbours have since hosted the Olympics and will be one of two Canadian cities welcoming global soccer fans, it was Expo 86 that helped put Vancouver on the map Vancouver Sun journalist Dan Fumano joins Dave Breakenridge to discuss the how the […]
On April 15, technology podcaster Dwarkesh Patel published a two-hour interview with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. For roughly forty minutes, Patel asked one question six different ways. The question was this: If American-made compute trains AI models with the serious cyber-offensive capabilities Anthropic’s Mythos Preview demonstrated — and that compute is sold to a strategic adversary — what responsibility does the seller bear?Huang’s answers hovered a safe distance away from the question. AI is a “five-layer cake,” he told Patel, and ceding any layer to China would be industrial suicide. The Chinese, he argued, already have enough compute to do The post How America Lost Its Most Important Defense Tech Habit appeared first on War on the Rocks.
(Island) The daughter of Foo Fighters’ Dave does a serviceable line in 90s throwback sounds, though the nostalgia is too reverent ‘I’ll eat your liver,” Violet Grohl threatens on 595, a scuzzy, slasher-inspired alt-rock single that feels made for 90s MTV. Arch, deadpan verses give way to a big, bluesy, intentionally sleazy chorus, finished with blown-out guitar and squealing feedback: part Veruca Salt, part Queens of the Stone Age. Despite just turning 20, Grohl has the rock’n’roll credentials for her throwback sound. The eldest daughter of Foo Fighters’ Dave, Violet fronted a rare Nirvana reunion aged just 13 – her coolly authoritative vocals making it more symbolic than a mere family favour. While it’s true that her dad linked her with taste-making producer Justin Raisen (Kim Gordon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sky Ferreira) for this debut album, and its grungy tracks haven’t been road-tested in sticky dive bars that music like this usually demands, Grohl is admirably direct about her nepo status. “Decide for yourself if I’m worthy,” she told the Forty-Five. Continue reading...
Country: Lebanon Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. HIGHLIGHTS Hostilities continued despite the ceasefire extension announcement, with airstrikes and displacement orders affecting at least 40 new localities in southern Lebanon. A total of 33,897 families (129,724 people) remain displaced across 635 collective shelters. Close to 52 per cent of displaced people in collective shelters are women and girls. Hostilities have killed at least 3,185 people and injured 9,633 people since 2 March, according to Ministry of Public Health. An audit of gender-based violence (GBV) risks in 180 collective shelters has revealed severe protection risks. Between 21 and 25 May, nine incidents targeting health care were recorded, resulting in eight deaths and forty-five injuries among health care workers. Access to maternal health services and acute medical care remains critically constrained in communities south of the Litani River. The Lebanon Flash Appeal is 58 per cent funded. An extension until end August of the appeal will be launched in the first week of June 2026. SITUATION OVERVIEW Airstrikes across Nabatiyeh and South Lebanon Governorate including Tyre district continued, resulting in widespread casualties, displacement, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. According to the Ministry of Public Health, 3,185 people have been killed since 2 March 2026, including 276 women and 217 children, while 9,633 people have been injured, among them 1,152 women and 854 children. Beyond immediate casualties, the death, injury, or displacement of adult household members is increasingly disrupting family structures. In many cases, women are assuming greater responsibility for care, income, decision-making, and access to assistance. Sustained and flexible funding is urgently needed to ensure that protection, cash, shelter, health, WASH, and livelihoods responses can identify and adequately support households facing these shifting dynamics. Displacement levels continue to rise due to ongoing hostilities and successive displacement orders. During the reporting period, 6 renewed and 6 new displacement orders were issued for 40 localities, the majority located in Tyre District in the South governorate. These orders have triggered significant new population movements across the south. As of 25 May 2026, approximately 129,724 people, representing 33,897 families, were reported as displaced across 635 collective shelters nationwide, reflecting a clear and sustained upward trend in displacement figures. Beirut and Mount Lebanon governorates continue to host the largest number of displaced people, while pressure on shelters across other governorates is also increasing. Despite a ceasefire extension announcement and the adoption of a World Health Assembly resolution calling for the protection of healthcare in Lebanon on 21 May 2026, attacks on medical personnel and facilities have continued. Since 2 March, 173 incidents have been recorded, resulting in 123 deaths and 273 injuries among health care workers, underscoring the urgent need for all parties to respect and uphold their obligations under International Humanitarian Law According to the Health Sector Emergency Situation Report, access to maternal and acute care south of the Litani River remains critically constrained, with patients facing delays of up to 48 hours to secure clearance for referral. Between 60 and 80 per cent of households in affected districts are unable to afford health services. The capacity of health systems is under severe strain, with only 68 per cent of facilities fully functional and 29 per cent partially operational, hampered by insecurity, staff shortages, stock depletion of essential medicines, and weak referral systems. Public health risks in areas affected by the hostilities are rising, with a growing incidence of respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases, mental health conditions, and injuries, compounded by critical shortages of medications for non-communicable diseases, trauma supplies, and fuel to operate health care facilities. On 22 May, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator visited Tyre alongside inter-sector coordination group agency leads. The group met with the Tyre Union of Municipalities and Disaster Risk Reduction Manager, who noted that current displacement numbers exceed those recorded during the 2024 conflict. It was also mentioned that small numbers of displaced families are returning despite ongoing risks, driven largely by economic pressure and strong attachment to their lands. A GBV safety audit of 180 collective shelters revealed severe protection risks, including overcrowding, lack of privacy, poor lighting, and inadequate separation of vulnerable groups, with female-headed households, adolescent girls, and people with disabilities identified as most at risk. Funding constraints remain a major challenge to sustaining life‑saving assistance. As of 25 May, the 2026, Lebanon Flash Appeal, requiring $308 million, is only 58 per cent funded with around $180 million received. The remaining significant funding gap is limiting the ability of humanitarian partners to maintain essential services and expand response capacities especially under continuous waves of renewed displacement.
KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 — The Kedah Regional Development Authority (KEDA) has continued to play its role as a catalys...
Forty days, some 13,000 kilometres, km, and 24 trains crisscrossing India — that sums up Saman Athaudahetti’s February and March, as he chased his long-held dream of exploring this neighbouring country through its railway network
Nigeria is a country where, for every naira the government earns, more than forty-five kobo disappears into debt servicing before a single public service is delivered. The reform that addresses this is not the enemy of ordinary Nigerians. The system that created this situation, and the beneficiaries of that system who are loudest in opposing its […] The post Taxing the senator, not the driver, By Tobechukwu Ezeuko appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Country: occupied Palestinian territory Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. Highlights In just one week, more than 50 attacks by settlers across the West Bank resulted in casualties or property damage, including arson attacks that damaged a mosque, homes, farmland and vehicles. OCHA has documented an average of six such attacks per day in 2026. Concerns over the risk of forced displacement of hundreds of Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem governorate intensified after the Israeli Finance Minister called for the rapid implementation of long-standing demolition orders against Khan al Ahmar. In Gaza, humanitarian partners have launched a pest-control campaign in over 1,700 locations, while warning that their efforts are limited by shortages and restrictions. Only half of all aid trucks from Egypt could offload at the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom Crossing in the first 18 days of May, based on data tracked by the Logistics Cluster. Overview The Occupied Palestinian Territory remains heavily fragmented; with people not allowed to move between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and movement within each of those areas further restricted by military divisions, physical barriers, and closed zones. Combined with ongoing violence, which keeps claiming civilian lives, these conditions are further deepening people’s humanitarian needs while making it both difficult and unsafe for them to access support. This past week saw new waves of displacement before previous ones had even ended, as attacks and threats once again forced people from their homes or shelters. For humanitarian partners, getting staff and the whole range of critical supplies to where they are needed remains extremely difficult. West Bank Across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, escalating settler violence, Israeli forces’ operations, demolitions, displacement, and movement restrictions are increasingly heightening protection risks and disrupting Palestinians’ access to essential services. Hundreds of Palestinians living in Area C of eastern Jerusalem governorate are at risk of forced displacement, with concerns intensifying after the Israeli Finance Minister instructed Israeli authorities to rapidly implement long-standing demolition orders against Khan al Ahmar. Bedouin community leaders reported high levels of fear and uncertainty among residents following the announcement. Khan al Ahmar is among 18 Bedouin and herding communities, comprising about 4,000 people, directly affected by the E1 settlement plan between East Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim settlement. Humanitarian partners have long warned that the E1 settlement plan would further fragment the West Bank, sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, heighten the risk of forced displacement of Bedouin communities, and have severe humanitarian consequences for Palestinians across the West Bank. Since 2009, OCHA has documented the demolition of about 550 structures in the 18 communities for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are difficult for Palestinians to obtain, including 175 donor-funded structures provided as humanitarian assistance. According to the Shelter Cluster, between 1 January and 30 April, partners reached over 9,300 households, comprising more than 40,300 people, across the West Bank with shelter assistance, targeting displaced families and others affected by conflict-related damage, escalating settler violence, the increasing risk of forcible displacement of entire communities, and deteriorating shelter conditions. Assistance included shelter repairs and rehabilitation; support to displaced families in meeting basic shelter needs; installation of protective measures such as fences, doors, and window mesh; cash assistance for rental support; and the provision of tents, plastic sheeting, bedding kits, kitchen sets, and clothing vouchers. To help Palestinian communities cope with displacement shocks and heightened insecurity, community-based psychosocial support remains the primary intervention modality, complemented by recreational and structured support activities as well as parenting sessions. On average every week, child protection partners provide mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to approximately 1,600 children, including about 80 children with disabilities, and more than 670 caregivers. Partners additionally reach a weekly average of about 380 children and 100 caregivers through awareness raising sessions, including explosive ordnance risk education. Over the past week, cash assistance as well as clothing and other in-kind assistance was provided to about 60 children and 12 caregivers to help address urgent needs and reduce exposure to negative coping mechanisms, while 35 children received case management support, including specialized referrals. Casualties and Escalating Settler Violence Between 12 and 18 May (the reporting period in this section), Israeli forces and settlers killed five Palestinians, including one child, while nearly 60 Palestinians, including six children, were injured across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. More than half of the injuries occurred during settler attacks, while the remainder were mainly recorded in the context of Israeli forces’ search operations and other raids. During the same period, OCHA documented more than 50 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both, bringing the number of such attacks documented since the beginning of 2026 to over 870 across more than 220 communities – an average of six attacks per day. Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian men while they were reportedly attempting to cross the Barrier. On 12 May, Israeli forces opened fire toward two Palestinians attempting to scale the Barrier near Dahiyat al Bareed, in Jerusalem governorate, killing a Palestinian man from Deir Qaddis village (Ramallah governorate) and injuring another. On 17 May, Israeli forces shot a Palestinian man near the Barrier in Beit Ula village, in Hebron governorate, under similar circumstances. He succumbed to his wounds the following day. Since 7 October 2023, when Israeli authorities revoked or suspended most permits issued to Palestinians to access East Jerusalem and Israel for work and other purposes, and as of 11 May, OCHA has documented the killing of 19 Palestinians and the injury of over 290 others who were reportedly attempting to cross the Barrier. On 14 May, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian child in Al Lubban ash Sharqiya village, in Nablus governorate and withheld his body. In a statement, the Israeli military said that soldiers had opened fire toward Palestinians near Road 60 after stones were thrown at Israeli vehicles traveling on the road. Elsewhere in the northern West Bank, on 16 May, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man at the entrance to Jenin Camp, which has remained a closed military zone since January 2025, reportedly while he was attempting to enter. In a large-scale attack across Sinjil, Jiljiliya and Abwein villages in Ramallah governorate on 13 May, Israeli forces and settlers shot and killed one Palestinian and injured 10 Palestinians. According to local sources and video footage, dozens of Israeli settlers raided the western area of Sinjil and nearby areas in Jiljiliya and Abwein villages, stealing Palestinian-owned livestock and other property. When residents attempted to retrieve stolen flocks, Israeli forces and settlers fired live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas canisters. In a statement, the Israeli military said forces had entered the area following reports that Palestinians had stolen sheep from a settlement outpost, and that troops responded with crowd-control measures and live fire after stones were thrown at them while exiting the village. Subsequently, on 16 May, 22 Palestinian Bedouin families, comprising 137 people including 81 children, in the area were forcibly displaced from the area following recurrent settler attacks and intimidation. The families had previously been displaced from three other communities in 2023 due to settler violence. The reporting period saw a concerning escalation in arson attacks targeting Palestinian property, especially in Ramallah and Hebron governorate, including incidents involving anti-Palestinian graffiti. In one incident, Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in Jibiya village in Ramallah governorate. In Al Mughayyir and Burqa villages, also in Ramallah governorate, settlers set fire to agricultural land, burning olive trees and cultivated areas, with one fire spreading across about 10 dunums due to strong winds. In Wadi ar Rakhim community near Susiya, in southern Hebron governorate, Israeli settlers threw flammable materials toward a Palestinian home, setting fire to an external kitchen, damaging a parked vehicle, and causing damage to parts of the house. In addition to the arson attacks, Israeli settlers carried out multiple assaults on Palestinian homes and infrastructure across Ramallah, Nablus, Salfit and Hebron governorates. These included physical assaults against Palestinians, attacks on homes while families, including children, were inside, damage to water and electricity infrastructure, theft and vandalism of agricultural property, and the destruction of olive trees and fencing. In one incident in Hebron governorate on 17 May, a large group of settlers reportedly physically assaulted four Palestinians and damaged residential structures and personal property in Umm ad Daraj community near Sa’ir village. In Ramallah governorate, settlers from a recently established outpost near Ein ‘Arik village reportedly raided homes, physically assaulted four Palestinians, vandalized water tanks and construction materials, and seized electric cables. A Palestinian-owned car torched in Jibiya village, Ramallah governorate, where Israeli settlers also set fire to a mosque and spray-painted Hebrew graffiti on its walls during one of more than 50 settler attacks documented across the West Bank during the week of 12-18 May 2026. Photo by OCHA. On 14, 15 and 16 May, during the annual Israeli “Jerusalem Day” and accompanying “Flag March” events, Israeli settlers and other Israelis, including Israeli officials, marched through the Old City of Jerusalem and several Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem under protection by Israeli forces. Israeli forces erected barriers, restricted Palestinian movement and access, including to Al Aqsa Mosque, and facilitated the marches throughout the Old City and surrounding areas. During the events, settlers assaulted Palestinians and damaged Palestinian-owned property, including shops and homes, while chanting anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian slogans. In Silwan neighbourhood, settlers physically assaulted and injured a 16-year-old Palestinian boy with a metal stick, causing facial fractures, while in the Old City two Palestinian shop owners were injured after settlers attacked their stores and sprayed them with pepper spray. According to local sources, Israeli forces also physically assaulted and arrested at least 20 Palestinians during the three-day events. Demolitions and Displacement During the reporting period, Israeli authorities demolished four homes and 20 agricultural and livelihood-related structures for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain. Overall, 19 structures were demolished in Area C and five in East Jerusalem, resulting in the displacement of five households comprising 26 people, including nine children, of whom 15 people were displaced in East Jerusalem and 11 in Area C. Eighteen of the 19 structures demolished in Area C were agricultural or livelihood-related structures, including 12 structures demolished in a single incident on 13 May in Area C of Al Marwaha area of Beit Hanina, on the Jerusalem side of the Barrier. During the incident, the Israeli Civil Administration, accompanied by Israeli forces, demolished animal shelters, caravans, and storage and sales facilities for construction materials, in addition to surrounding fences, affecting seven Palestinian households comprising 41 people, including 23 children. The demolition resulted in significant financial losses, as affected families were unable to remove most materials and equipment prior to the operation. Since the beginning of 2026, about 71 per cent of the approximately 400 structures demolished in Area C for lacking Israeli-issued building permits have been agricultural, livelihood-related, or water and sanitation structures. Humanitarian Impacts of Raids and Movement Restrictions During the reporting period, OCHA documented more than 40 raids and other operations by Israeli forces across the West Bank, involving house searches, mass detentions, temporary home evacuations, and movement restrictions, disrupting access to livelihoods, education and essential services and heightening fear and distress among affected communities. In multiple governorates, including Tubas, Salfit, Jenin and Nablus, Israeli forces carried out prolonged raids involving large-scale house searches, temporary takeover of Palestinian homes for military use, detentions, and reported physical assaults. In one raid on 17 May in Burin village, home to about 3,000 Palestinians southwest of Nablus city, Israeli forces closed all entrances to the village for nearly 19 hours, reportedly after alleging that stones had been thrown at Israeli vehicles. The closure disrupted movement and access to work and education, forcing shops to close and leading some schools to postpone exams and suspend classes. Separately, Israeli settlers, reportedly from nearby settlement outposts and often accompanied by Israeli forces, carried out repeated attacks against homes in Burin village during the reporting period. At least two attacks included attempted break-ins, damage to property, and physical assaults against residents. In one of these attacks on 13 May, a 13-year-old Palestinian girl was reportedly struck on the head with a stick by an Israeli settler while her family attempted to protect their livestock during an attack on their home. She was treated at the scene by Palestine Red Crescent Society paramedics. Moreover, about 100 students attempting to reach a Palestinian school in the H2 area of Hebron city through As Salaymeh (160) checkpoint were reportedly subjected to repeated delays and restrictive measures imposed by Israeli forces, including demands to present birth certificates and, in some cases, be accompanied by a parent. On 11 May, 103 students were unable to reach the school altogether. Similar restrictions and delays were again reported on 14 and 18 May, disrupting students’ access to education. For key figures and additional breakdowns of casualties, displacement and settler violence between January 2005 and March 2026, please refer to the OCHA West Bank March 2026 Snapshot. Gaza Strip The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical, with many displaced families continuing to shelter in overcrowded tents, schools, or damaged structures due to the lack of safe alternatives. Access to essential services also remains severely constrained, including limited availability of clean water and inadequate waste management systems that are unable to effectively address growing public health risks, including the spread of pests and rodents. Many residential areas across Gaza remain unsafe and exposed to recurrent strikes, shelling, and shooting incidents in or near populated areas. Ongoing insecurity and access constraints are disrupting some humanitarian and community‑based activities, while aid workers continue to report significant access impediments in areas where Israeli authorities require humanitarian teams to coordinate their movements with them. Between 16 and 17 May, humanitarian partners recorded the displacement of more than 150 families from eastern Khan Younis and eastern Gaza city. Affected families said they fled because of tank movements or bombing. Forty of the newly displaced families have been identified by partners as requiring emergency assistance as they fled with only what they could carry, and a response by multiple partners has been initialized. Simultaneously, Israeli strikes continued to be reported during the reporting period, affecting residential areas and makeshift shelters. In one incident on 18 May, an airstrike hit Jabalya Camp, reportedly damaging 35 families’ tents and tarpaulins and displacing dozens of them. Data by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza indicates that between 12 and 20 May, 24 Palestinians were killed, five bodies were retrieved, two died of wounds, and 159 people were injured. This brings the overall reported casualty toll since the announcement of a ceasefire agreement on 10 October 2025 to 881 fatalities and 2,621 injuries, according to MoH. Severe shortages of engine oil continue to disrupt critical water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services across the Gaza Strip. The WASH Cluster estimates that approximately 7,000 litres are required every month and life‑saving activities are increasingly curtailed. Key infrastructure is already affected, as demonstrated by the shutdown of the Sheikh Radwan stormwater lagoon in Gaza city on 11 May to preserve generator lifespan after prolonged operation. Water and wastewater levels have since risen significantly, raising the risk of flooding in the coming weeks and posing serious public health threats, according to the WASH Cluster. At the same time, solid waste management continues to rely on temporary dump sites located near active displacement sites. Humanitarian partners report that displaced families are increasingly affected by skin infections and other illnesses, as rats and insects enter shelters and contaminate food. While efforts are ongoing to improve sanitation and pest control, more sustainable responses require restored access to Gaza’s sanitary landfills near the perimeter, where Israeli forces remain deployed, as well as the entry of debris removal machinery and other critical supplies such as trucks, compactors, loaders, containers or personal protective equipment. To address pest infestations, WASH Cluster partners and local organizations, in coordination with the United Nation’s Development Programme (UNDP), have launched a response plan targeting over 1,700 locations across the Gaza Strip on 17 May. It involves spraying, rodent control, and awareness raising activities. The supplies for the campaign – 3 tonnes of rodenticides and 3,000 litres of pesticides – were brought into Gaza last week by UNDP. Partners indicate that a full response to rodents and pests requires the Israeli authorities to facilitate access to Gaza’s landfills where waste can be safely disposed of and approve requests to bring into Gaza items necessary for the removal of debris and the clearance of explosive ordnance – as well as inputs necessary to keep that equipment running. According to the Site Management Cluster (SMC), some 1,600 displacement sites across Gaza are currently hosting about 1.7 million people, or 354,480 households. This is based on non-exhaustive data collected through in-person visits or – in some cases – phone interviews, between 3 February and 10 May. Nearly 88 per cent them reside in makeshift sites, while others are accommodated in collective centres or scattered locations. Population movements over the preceding month indicate largely localized displacement patterns, with most sites reporting no significant change, though some continue to experience inflows and outflows. Incoming Supplies Kerem Shalom and Zikim remain the only operational entry points for humanitarian and commercial goods into Gaza. Between 11 and 17 May, offloading rates were 81 per cent across all corridors, with every other truck from Egypt still unable to offload at the Israeli crossings along Gaza’s perimeter, based on data tracked by the Logistics Cluster; this does not include bilateral humanitarian donations or the private sector. On the commercial front, according to the Chamber of Commerce and other humanitarian partner market assessments, prices remained elevated but generally stable with fresh products continue to show the greatest volatility. The Cash Working Group (CWG) continues to advocate for an increased number of commercial trucks entering Gaza to support market recovery, a reduction in fees applied to essential commodities, and a more appropriate balance between essential and non‑essential items being imported to better meet priority needs and stabilize markets. Between 7 and 20 May, the United Nation Office for Project Services (UNOPS) took into Gaza more than 2.1 million litres of diesel petrol into Gaza and distributed just over 2 million litres of diesel (including from stocks brought in before that period) in support of humanitarian operations. The UN is only able to confirm the entry of supplies tracked by UN 2720. For breakdowns of those, see the online UN 2720 Mechanism Dashboard. For a detailed account of the latest humanitarian operations in Gaza, see Annex 1 below. Funding Annexes Annex 1: Humanitarian Operations in the Gaza Strip by Cluster Read more This section covers 11 to 17 May unless otherwise specified. Food Security As of 18 May, partners provided general food assistance to 122,000 households (440,000 people) as part of the May monthly distribution. Each family receiving two parcels, one 25-kilogram flour bag and 2.5 kilograms of high energy biscuits, covering 75 per cent of the minimum caloric needs – the same as in April. Additional caloric needs are still covered through other modalities. As of 13 May, partners continued preparing and serving about 1 million meals every day through 103 kitchens and to almost 1,800 different locations. While these efforts remain critical, partners have scaled down cooked meal production due to funding constraints and rising operational costs. As the same time, responders are seeking to diversify assistance modalities, to include more cash and livelihood support. Humanitarian partners continue to support bread production through subsidized bakeries, community ovens, and partners’ own baking facilities, producing at least 300 metric tons of bread daily – about 36 per cent of the Strip’s estimated bread needs. More than 35 commercial bakeries are involved in these efforts, alongside flour distributions by partners and bilateral government actors to help families bake bread at home. As of 17 May, 28 subsidized bakeries were producing approximately 130,000 two-kilogram bread bundles per day, with about 80 per cent sold at a subsidized price of 3 NIS (US$0.85) through 168 contracted retailers and the remaining 20 per cent distributed free of charge to over 300 shelters and community sites. Meanwhile, under the “diesel-only” model, five private bakeries supported with free fuel by humanitarian partners resumed operations late April and have gradually increased production, despite ongoing challenges related to high fuel, spare parts, and engine oil costs. A few examples of what is still needed: Scaling up home gardening requires strengthened technical support, including real-time advisory channels, the use of organic compost, seed-saving practices, and the provision of seedlings to improve germination rates. Proper site assessments are also essential to ensure feasibility, taking into account water and soil quality, available space, and safe access for households. At a broader level, restoring local food production depends on the timely and unrestricted entry of agricultural inputs through commercial and humanitarian channels, alongside enabling local importers to directly source and import the materials needed to restart and sustain production at scale. Water, Health and Sanitation (WASH) Fifty-four partners provide approximately 24,000 cubic metres of water per day to people in more than 2,000 locations, as 74 per cent or all households in Gaza rely on such deliveries. Between 4 and 17 May, UNICEF distributed 15,343 hygiene kits, 2,448 dignity kits, and 7,350 jerry cans benefitting almost 116,000 people. A few examples of what is still needed: Generator and vehicle spare parts and consumables – including engine oil, air filters, and tires – are urgently needed, alongside emergency repair kits for the Israeli Mekorot and UAE water pipelines as well as water pipes of various sizes. Additional priorities include reverse osmosis units, spare parts and accessories for existing systems, and solid waste compactors, as well as access to landfills near Gaza’s perimeter to ease pressure on temporary dump sites in southern Gaza. Health Between 11-17 May, partners supported the medical evacuation of 59 patients, including six children, to Egypt via Rafah Crossing, alongside 87 caregivers. Partners provided medical consultations, with reportable diseases accounting for 21.4 per cent of the consultations across 181 reporting sites. Increasing trends were observed in skin diseases, acute watery diarrhea, and bloody diarrhea, while acute respiratory infections declined, likely reflecting seasonal variation. Environmental surveillance results for March and April 2026 confirmed all samples negative for Poliovirus, marking 12 consecutive months without detection; in line with WHO guidance, the outbreak may be considered over pending Poliovirus Outbreak Response Assessment (OBRA) desk review. A risk assessment for rodent-associated diseases remains ongoing. Partners completed a training on infection prevention and control (IPC) and isolation protocols for over 400 clinical staff across five major hospitals, as well as more than 100 environmental cleaners and emergency medical services personnel. A few examples of what is still needed: Water testing equipment and liquid chlorine supplies are lacking in hospitals, primary health-care centres, and medical points because of administrative impediments from Israeli authorities. For more information, see the online Heath Cluster Dashboard. Shelter Between 11 and 17 May, partners provided 14,429 households with shelter and non-food assistance through in-kind and cash-based modalities. Assistance included 14,936 bedding items, 3,173 bedding kits, 2,922 tarpaulins, 1,114 sealing-off kits, and 839 clothing kits. The Rapid Joint Distribution Mechanism supported 55 households with emergency shelter and essential household items, including 10 packages of tents and non-food items and 45 sealing-off kits. Partners installed 115 emergency shelters in Gaza and Khan Younis using Shelter Cluster Emergency Shelter Kit designs and specifications. A few examples of what is still needed: More essential household items are needed, as available stocks are merely enough to support fewer than 3,400 additional households. Administrative impediments imposed by Israeli authorities should be lifted along with restrictions on shelter items. For more information, see the Shelter Cluster website. Protection Between 11 and 17 May, 11 protection partners delivered lifesaving and protection-related services to almost 11,000 people: Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), including psychological first aid and individual and group counselling, was provided to 8,259 people; Legal aid and legal awareness support was provided to 219 people; Referrals and case follow-up were provided to 232 people; Other support was provided to 341 persons with disabilities; Group psychosocial support sessions were provided to 350 people; Mine action and explosive ordnance risk education were provided to 168 people; Relief was distributed to 1,265 people; Staff-care activities were conducted for 25 responders. During the same period, partners offered services to 146 returnees from Egypt; since the reopening of the Rafah border and as of 14 May, 2,429 returnees have been assisted, including 885 currently receiving follow-up protection services. Protection monitoring activities continued through eight focus group discussions and 130 key informant interviews across 16 neighbourhoods, reaching 1,155 people. A few examples of what is still needed: It is critical to address the psychological distress affecting staff members, alongside persistent fuel shortages, rising transportation costs, cash flow constraints, and the limited availability of essential materials and spare parts. For more information, see the online Protection Cluster dashboard. Child Protection Between 11 and 17 May, partners: provided MHPSS services to over 4,000 children and approximately 1,500 caregivers. Services included structured psychosocial support sessions, recreational and resilience-building activities, art and drama interventions, individual counselling, Psychological First Aid, parenting support, and community-based psychosocial programmes. conducted child protection awareness and community-based protection activities for another 4,700 children and caregivers through awareness sessions, risk mitigation activities, positive parenting sessions, safety mapping exercises, and community outreach across shelters, camps, schools, and displacement sites; provided individual case management support to 56 newly identified high-risk children, while continuing follow-up for more than 3,000 active child protection cases involving children without parental care, highly distressed children, and children exposed to violence, neglect, exploitation, family separation, and unsafe living conditions. conducted 135 follow-up contacts for unaccompanied and separated children to assess wellbeing, care arrangements, and protection concerns; A few examples of what is still needed: Additional funding and operational support are needed to sustain high-risk child protection case management, MHPSS services, outreach activities, and child-friendly spaces, many of which face disruptions. Partners also require increased fuel, transportation, and operational supplies to maintain home visits, referrals, and follow-up activities, particularly in underserved and newly displaced areas. Additional trained case workers, MHPSS specialists, accessible safe spaces, and psychosocial materials are also needed to respond to growing protection concerns among children and adolescents across Gaza. Mine Action UNMAS conducted 36 explosive hazard assessments in support of debris removal and other partner activities, and three inter-agency missions. Partners conducted explosive ordnance risk education activities, reaching almost 3,480 people between 10 and 14 May. Since the October 2025 ceasefire announcement, 109 accidents have been recorded, leading to 265 Palestinians injured and 49 killed. Emergency Telecommunications Between 11 and 17 May, ETC continued close collaboration with UNDSS on the Communications Plan, providing final technical inputs with completion expected by 31 May. Coordination also continued with PRCS and ICRC to support technical recovery of the damaged VHF network in Gaza, building on earlier VHF coverage assessments conducted along the Gaza city–Zikim route. A few examples of what is still needed: Despite progress, connectivity in Gaza remains severely constrained, limiting humanitarian coordination. The VHF network remains only partially functional due to security constraints and limited technical capacity.
MANILA, Philippines — Forty-four areas in the country, including the weather station at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in Pasay City, are expected to record a “danger” level heat index on Monday, May 25, according to the state weather bureau. Based on its latest update, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Naia’s