Latest United Nations Children's Fund News
What to know about Vanuatu, the Pacific island nation struggling to recover from a massive quake
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A search expanded on Thursday for those killed or trapped alive by an earthquake in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, as rescue workers arriving from abroad fanned out through the capital, Port Vila, encountering flattened buildings that had not yet been...
Today in History: December 11, King Edward VIII abdicates British throne
Today is Wednesday, Dec. 11, the 346th day of 2024. There are 20 days left in the year. Today in history: On Dec. 11, 1936, Britain’s King Edward VIII abdicated the throne so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson; his brother, Prince Albert, became...
Ailing kids wait months for Israeli permission to leave Gaza for treatment. Some die in the meantime
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The 12-year-old Palestinian boy was lying in a hospital bed in central Gaza, wracked with leukemia, malnourished and whimpering in pain despite the morphine doctors were giving him, when Rosalia Bollen, a UNICEF official, said she saw him in late October. ...
Afghan economy shows modest signs of growth but recovery remains fragile, says World Bank
Afghanistan’s economy is showing modest signs of growth after two years of severe contraction, the World Bank said. In its latest development update issued late Wednesday, the financial institution said modest GDP growth of 2.7% was driven by private consumption. The partial...
Zimbabwe court rules against law that denies abortion to marital rape victims and girls below 18
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A law prohibiting abortion services for women raped by their husbands and girls under the age of 18 is unconstitutional, Zimbabwe’s High Court has ruled. In his ruling handed down on Nov. 22 and made public this week, Judge Maxwell Takuva said since...
The number of children recruited by gangs in Haiti soars by 70%, UNICEF says
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Gangs in Haiti are recruiting children at unprecedented levels, with the number of minors targeted soaring by 70% in the past year, according to a report released Monday by UNICEF. Currently, between 30% to 50% of all gang members in the...
Botswana holds an election where the diamond trade has become a central issue
GABORONE, Botswana (AP) — Botswana held a national election on Wednesday to decide if one of Africa's longest-ruling parties stays in power for another five-year term. The Botswana Democratic Party has governed the southern African nation for 58 years, since independence from...
UN official calls for more attention to Sudan’s 'forgotten' war amid fresh atrocities
CAIRO (AP) — A senior United Nations official on Friday called for more international attention to “the forgotten crisis” in Sudan, where more than a year and a half of war pushed the African country to the brink of famine. The appeal by Ted Chaiban, deputy head of the U.N....
The UN says over 400,000 children in Lebanon have been displaced in 3 weeks by war
BEIRUT (AP) — More than 400,000 children in Lebanon have been displaced in the past three weeks, a top official with the U.N. children’s agency said Monday, warning of a “lost generation” in the small country grappling with multiple crises and now in the middle of war. Israel...
Fast-rising cholera cases across war-torn Sudan alarm the UN
CAIRO (AP) — Cholera cases in war-torn Sudan increased by nearly 40% in less than two weeks, according to the latest figures, alarming the U.N. health officials, who long warned about the outbreak and the lack of proper response since it was reported in July. Sudan’s health...
