Security Council votes on Palestine's membership in the UN
The Secretary General has opened the meeting of the Security Council of the UN in which Palestine's membership will be voted on.
António Guterres warned that the Middle East is on a knife's edge, after the recent attacks between Israel and Iran
El General secretary He again called for a ceasefire in Gaza, which would help calm tensions throughout the region, although he insisted that peace will not come until there are two states for Palestine and Israel.
"This means the end of the occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state fully independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign, with Gaza as an integral part. The international community has the responsibility and moral obligation to help make this happen,” she maintained.
The Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister, Ziad Abu Amr, asked to approve the resolution prepared by Algeria with which the Council would approve Palestine's membership in the UN, since it would mean a rejection of the Gaza war and support for the State. Palestinian.
“This is the perfect time for the international community and its Council assume their political, legal and moral responsibilities towards the just Palestinian cause and the right of the Palestinian people to freedom and independence.”
The Israeli ambassador said the resolution would push for recognition of a “Nazi” Palestinian state and would be a “reward” to the October 7 terrorists. “Awarding those responsible and supporters of October 7 is the most vile reward for the most vile crime. If the resolution is approved, God forbid, This Council should be known not as the Security Council but as the Terrorism Council.”
The entry of a new Member State does not depend on the Secretary General. It must be recommended by the Security Council, where the five permanent members have the right to veto. If the Council issues the recommendation, it goes to a vote of the 193 States of the General Assembly.
“Great concern” at WHO over the spread of bird flu
La World Health Organization has expressed “great concern” about the increasing spread of H5N1 bird flu to other species, including humans.
Dr Jeremy Farrar, Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization(WHO), stated that the bird flu virus has had an "extremely high" mortality rate among the several hundred people known to have been infected to date.
To date, no transmission of the H5N1 virus between humans has been recorded.
The H5N1 outbreak began in poultry and ducks; In the last year or two it has spread to become a global pandemic among animals, Dr. Farrar said.
"The big concern, of course, is that by doing so and infecting ducks and chickens - but now increasingly mammals - that virus will evolve and develop the ability to infect humans. And, what is more serious, the ability to transmit between humans«.
A case that generated concern was the announcement in early April of the detection of a person who was infected from a dairy cow in Texas, United States. When "it gets into the mammal population, then it's getting closer to humans," Farrar said. "It's really worrying," he said, calling for increased surveillance.
Expert asks Guatemala that the appointments of Magistrates comply with the law
A UN expert has asked Guatemala to guarantee that the appointments of the new Judges of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals comply with the law.
«The independence and impartiality of the courts is one of the essential guarantees of the rule of law required by the rules of human rights," explained the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite.
The current magistrates, whose term ends in October, were appointed in November 2023, “after almost four years of inaction by the Congress of Guatemala,” said the Special Rapporteur.
"I am concerned about the context of mistrust that has been generated around the appointment processes of high courts in the past, the accusations of corruption and influence peddling that accompanied the previous process and the lack of effective participation of civil society" , stated the rapporteur, asking that this year the appointments comply with the law