We ended the week with a grim reminder that whatever the level of geopolitical turmoil, mother nature can plunge whole countries into chaos in seconds, and often those least equipped to deal with it. Myanmar was struck on Friday by a huge quake, killing and injuring hundreds. The UN is despatching teams and resources to help with the aftermath across the region. Other man-made crisis continued to boil over, with the UN chief making an appeal this week for South Sudan's warring politicians to put down their weapons, and put the people first. In DR Congo, we landed an exclusive interview with UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO's head, Bintou Keita, on the complex and delicate path ahead to bring about a lasting ceasefire in the restive east. Each day in Gaza, the total Israeli blockade and return to all-out bombardment in a bid to root out Hamas continues to take a devastating toll on civilians with hundreds more killed this week – including many children. One of our videos from the Strip showed that it's not only bombs that are deadly, even playing in the rubble can see a young life cut brutally short. On a more hopeful note, major meetings this week saw problems related to climate change under the spotlight – but also solutions. While fast fashion is adding to global warming, just doubling the lifespan of what you wear could reduce emissions by 44 per cent. In Colombia, 47 million health workers and advocates signed a petition backing conference delegates demanding clean air be made a public health priority. At UN Headquarters in New York, we marked the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, and the associated crimes which for too long have gone "unacknowledged, unspoken and unaddressed," said the Secretary-General. In another week of huge economic uncertainty with Washington at the centre, we took a timely look at tariffs, consulting one UN expert who told us that if used effectively, they can help poorer countries nurture and develop their economies. |
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