This is the News in Brief, from the United Nations.

Safety and security of Yemeni civilians at risk without truce extension

Warring factions in Yemen are being urged to extend the UN-mediated truce which lapsed more than a month ago, following reports of deaths and injuries of civilians from sniper attacks and shelling.

UN human rights chief Volker Türk says that there is grave and growing concern for the safety and security of civilians.

He has echoed calls from the UN Secretary-General to extend the truce and to work towards a negotiated settlement to bring the conflict to an end once and for all.

The outbreak of war over seven years ago plunged Yemen into an unparalleled humanitarian crisis. The truce agreement had brought relative calm. However, it expired at the beginning of October without the parties to the conflict reaching an agreement to extend it.

Mr. Türk said Friday that the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects is prohibited by international law and constitutes a war crime, adding that any such attacks must cease immediately.

Afghanistan: Concern over arrests at women’s civil society press conference

There is concern for the welfare of a woman and four male colleagues who were arrested at a press conference by a women’s civil society organisation in Afghanistan on Thursday.

UN human rights office, OHCHR, says that a number of Taliban security officials disrupted the meeting in Kabul, arresting five people on the spot.

There are reports that police officers detained the remaining women at the event, for about an hour.

They are said to have conducted body searches and examined the women’s phones before releasing them.

The five who were arrested are still being held. OHCHR has called on those who are holding the group to provide an update on their welfare.

OHCHR Spokesperson, Jeremy Laurence, said Friday that all Afghans have the right to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and opinion, without fear of arrest or intimidation and called on Taliban authorities to respect these rights.

Climate crisis in Pakistan highlights need for more climate adaptation investment: WFP

As world leaders gather at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for urgent action to make vulnerable communities living on the frontlines of the climate crisis in Pakistan and other climate hotspots, more resilient.

The Pakistan floods, which inundated a third of the country, claimed over 1,700 lives, uprooted eight million people, and destroyed homes, schools, health facilities, roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

The floods condemned already vulnerable families in rural and urban areas to even higher levels of acute hunger.

“The floods in Pakistan provide ample evidence of how the climate crisis is devastating lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure,” said Chris Kaye, WFP’s Country Director in Pakistan, adding that Pakistan and other countries on the frontline will continue to experience more extreme climate shocks if communities are not prepared.

WFP is calling on the international community to help build the resilience of those at the sharp end of the climate crisis and to provide adequate investment in tackling its root causes.

Nicki Chadwick, UN News.