UNITED NATIONS -- The humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is deteriorating rapidly, a UN spokesman said on Friday.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, highlighted the grave concerns at the regular press briefing. "The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said today it is gravely concerned by the worsening humanitarian situation civilians face in the eastern part of the country."

The recent escalation of conflict around the town of Sake in North Kivu Province has displaced 144,000 people from the outskirts of Goma, Dujarric noted. "Non-state armed groups have also launched a spate of targeted attacks against civilians this week in Beni as well as in the Irumu Territory of Ituri Province." (UN-Humanitarian Conditions-DRC)

- - - -

GAZA -- An Israeli airstrike on a house in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 22 Palestinians and wounded others on Friday, Palestinian security and medical sources said.

The sources told Xinhua that the house in Deir el-Balah was sheltering displaced people when it was hit by the Israeli attack. The dead and injured, mostly children, were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the city. (Gaza-Israel-Conflict)

- - - -

TUNIS -- The World Bank is committed to helping Tunisia develop plans to cope with the impact of water scarcity and climate change, a senior official of the bank said on Friday.

World Bank Group Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa Ferid Belhaj spoke at the opening of a regional conference on climate and development in Tunis, where he said it was crucial to have policies that provide urgent solutions for the sectors affected by the water scarcity and climate challenges, especially agriculture. (World Bank-Tunisia)

- - - -

WARSAW -- The European Commission (EC) is set to release up to 137 billion euros (148 billion U.S. dollars) of funding for Poland, EC president Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

The funding, under the European Union's post-pandemic recovery package, was frozen by the EC over rule of law concerns. (Poland-EU) Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)