This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

‘Mass hunger and starvation’ are not acceptable in 21^st century: UN chief

Developing nations that face “mass hunger and starvation” because of the global food and energy crisis need help urgently from the world’s richest nations to avoid disaster, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday.

Mr. Guterres, who was addressing an international conference convened by Germany to try to stabilize soaring food and commodity prices, said that only by working together would countries find the solution.

This had to involve reintegrating Ukrainian and Russian food and fertiliser into the marketplace - the UN chief insisted - despite the war in Ukraine that has followed its invasion by Russia on 24 February.

To make this happen, Mr. Guterres explained that he and his team had been “in intense contact” with Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, the US, the EU and others, “to achieve a package deal that will enable Ukraine to export food, not only by land but through the Black Sea…(to) bring Russian food and fertilizer to world markets without restrictions”.    

To illustrate the scale of needs globally, the UN Secretary-General explained that “hundreds of millions of people on the poverty line” had been “crushed” by the rising cost of living.

Their number included informal workers who were “mainly women; smallholder farmers, micro and small business owners, people with disabilities”, Mr. Guterres said, in a call for flexibility from financial institutions to help heavily indebted developing economies stay afloat.

Abu Akleh shooting: fatal shot came from Israeli forces: OHCHR

Israeli forces were behind the fatal shooting of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh - not indiscriminate Palestinian shots - the UN human rights office, OHCHR, alleged on Friday.

Ms. Akleh – an experienced television journalist familiar with reporting in the Occupied Palestinian Territories - was killed on 11 May, as she attempted to report on an Israeli security operation in Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.

After launching its own investigation into the killing, OHCHR said that its findings were consistent with many others, “that the shots that killed her came from Israeli Security Forces”.

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Ms. Shamdasani described Ms. Akleh’s final moments, with her colleague Ali Sammoudi.

She noted that there was no evidence of activity by armed Palestinians close by.

“At around half past six in the morning, as four of the journalists turned into the street leading to the camp, wearing bulletproof helmets and flak jackets with ‘PRESS’ markings, several single, seemingly well-aimed bullets were fired towards them from the direction of the Israeli Security Forces. One single bullet injured Ali Sammoudi in the shoulder, and another single bullet hit Abu Akleh in the head and killed her instantly.”

Israel has rejected the findings of the OHCHR probe, adding that the Palestinian Authority has not handed over the bullet that killed Ms. Abu Akleh.

Life-saving relief continues to reach quake-hit eastern Afghanistan

To eastern Afghanistan, where search and rescue operations are continuing, two days after a deadly earthquake hit the provinces of Khost and Paktika.

In an update on Friday, UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, said that several thousand houses have been destroyed or damaged.

Bermal District, in Paktika province, reportedly has the highest number of casualties, after the 5.9 magnitude quake struck early on Wednesday.

Here’s Mohamed Ayoya, UNICEF Representative to Afghanistan:

“As of late last night, at least 1,036 people were reported killed and more than 1,643 reported injured. At least 121 of these deaths were children and 67 of those injured were children. The total number of people killed or injured is not yet confirmed. Verification is ongoing. We expect these numbers to climb as the search and rescue operations continue.”

Deliveries of life-saving supplies are ongoing, as are needs assessments in the worst-affected districts.

UNICEF has already dispatched 500 first aid kits, along with treatment for acute watery diarrhoea to help prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.