United Nations, July 11 (IANS) The United Nations, in collaboration with its partners, has launched a response plan calling for $9 million to support nearly 43,000 people impacted recently by Hurricane Beryl in two Caribbean countries, a UN spokesman said.

Of the $9 million, $5 million will be used to assist 24,000 people in Grenada, and $4 million will support 19,000 people in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on Wednesday.

The response plan, launched Tuesday night, aims to address the immediate needs of those affected by the hurricane, Dujarric added at the daily briefing.

Assessments are ongoing despite access challenges due to power cuts and infrastructure damage, and the response plan will be updated as necessary to reflect new information and evolving needs, he said.

He added by saying that humanitarians emphasise the significance of acting quickly to meet the urgent needs of those impacted, especially in light of the likelihood of an extremely active hurricane season this year.

–IANS

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Ramallah, July 11 (IANS) Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa has called for a unified Palestine under a single authority and government once a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.

During a meeting with UN officials, consuls, and ambassadors in Ramallah, Mustafa emphasised the need for unity and cooperation, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

“The day after the war ends, Palestine must be unified under one authority and one government, working with partners as one team with one plan. There can be no undefined transitional period that would create more complexity and chaos,” the Prime Minister said on Wednesday, according to a statement from his office sent to Xinhua.

Mustafa urged international partners, donors, and UN institutions to closely coordinate with the Palestinian government to ensure swift recovery and address urgent humanitarian needs resulting from the conflict in Gaza and its repercussions in the West Bank.

He highlighted the Palestinian Authority’s longstanding responsibility for providing essential services such as healthcare, education, water, and electricity to Gaza residents despite Israeli deductions from Palestinian funds.

Delegations from Egypt, the US, Qatar, and Israel met on Wednesday in Qatar’s capital, Doha, to resume the Gaza truce talks.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed his country’s commitment to a potential ceasefire agreement during a meeting with US President Joe Biden’s special envoy to the Middle East, Brett McGurk, in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu assured McGurk of his “commitment to the deal as long as Israeli red lines are maintained,” according to a statement from his office.

–IANS

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Rome, July 11 (IANS) A major heatwave will hit most major Italian cities this week, with temperatures forecast to be the hottest in the summer so far, according to authorities.

On Wednesday, the Health Ministry issued an orange hot weather alert—the second highest level in the country’s four-tie system—for 13 cities, including key touristic places such as Rome, Venice, and Florence.

It then issued a red alert (highest risk) for seven cities on Thursday and 11 cities on Friday, respectively, while other urban areas would remain under orange alert in the same period, Xinhua news agency reported.

Temperatures during the week are expected to reach nearly 40 degrees Celsius, and even higher in southern Sicily and the largest islands in Sardinia, according to weather forecasts, including those provided by Italy’s Air Force.

The heatwave is driven by an anticyclone, a front of high barometric pressure, which is moving from Africa, pushing temperatures and humidity levels up for the next 10 days at least, weather forecast online service ilMeteo.it said.

Italy already faced a major heatwave in the second half of June, before the official start of the top summer period.

Usually, orange and red alerts cause an increased risk of wildfires across the country.

Italy has suffered from extensive wildfires with increased frequency in recent years. However, no major incidents have been recorded so far in 2024.

–IANS

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Gaza, July 11 (IANS) The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has said that since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict began, two-thirds of its schools in Gaza have been hit, some bombed out, and many severely damaged.

Schools have gone from safe places of education and hope for children to overcrowded shelters, often ending up a place of death and misery, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on Wednesday on social media platform X.

“Nine months in, under our watch, the relentless, endless killings, destruction, and despair continue. Gaza is no place for children,” Lazzarini added, noting that four schools were hit in the last four days, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel has been waging a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

During the past 24 hours, the Israeli military has killed 52 people and wounded 208 others, bringing the total death toll to 38,295 and injuries to 88,241 since the conflict broke out, the Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Wednesday.

–IANS

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Washington, July 10 (IANS) US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that the way forward for the NATO alliance is for each member country to strengthen their industrial base so that the group can stay ahead of Russia, which has “ramped up domestic production of defence goods with help from China, Iran, and North Korea”.

Thirty-two leaders of NATO countries, who include leaders of Finland and Sweden, the two new additions, are meeting here in Washington DC for the group’s 75th anniversary, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine bringing back memories of World War II that was started in Europe by a man’s desire to expand his country’s frontiers driven by historical grievances.

Speaking cogently and forcefully, perhaps to allay fears of allies who doubt his ability to govern for four more years if he wins, the US President said that the alliance has provided a security shield for member countries to grow and prosper. At a summit two years ago, allies decided to modernise their defence and deterrence. But the alliance is now facing fresh challenges.

“Right now, Russia is on a wartime footing with regard to defence production. They are significantly ramping up their production of weapons, munitions, and vehicles. And they’re doing it with the help of China, North Korea and Iran,” he said, adding “We cannot in my view, we cannot allow the (NATO) alliance to fall behind.”

To that end, he noted, that every member has taken a pledge to put together plans to shore up defence production at home. “That means as an alliance (we) will become more innovative and competitive. We’re able to produce more critical defence equipment more quickly than we should so that we may need it,” Biden asserted.

–IANS

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