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October 28, 2025 Climate and environment

Millions of people in Jamaica and other Caribbean countries are bracing for the powerful impact of Hurricane Melissa. The UN and its humanitarian partners are warning of a "critical" and "imminent" threat.

Speaking to reporters hours before the storm was expected to hit, a spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said the Category 5 hurricane would be the most powerful to hit the planet this year and would threaten the lives of a million people – including families still recovering from Hurricane Beryl, which struck Jamaica 16 months ago.

"Roofs will be tested. Water levels will rise. Many will be isolated," warned Nesephore Mghendi, head of the Red Cross office for the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean.

"Many buildings are expected to be completely destroyed," added Anne-Claire Fontan, a tropical cyclone specialist with the World Meteorological Organization, quoting a statement from the U.S. National Hurricane Center. "I've never seen that wording before… This is going to be a massive blow to Jamaica."

The first victims

Wind speeds at the hurricane's epicenter are currently reaching 280 kilometers per hour. Heavy rains continue to fall across the region, with deaths already reported in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. According to Anne-Claire Fontan, the hurricane will bring three times the rainfall of the region's wettest month of the year—up to 700 mm.

"This means catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides," she explained. "In addition to rain and damaging winds, a storm surge of three to four meters, plus huge waves, is expected on the southern coast of Jamaica."

Speaking from Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Nesefor Mghendi noted that the hurricane is moving slowly – about six kilometers per hour – but extreme rainfall and winds will lead to “severe damage to infrastructure, isolation of communities and the loss of essential services for days, if not weeks.”

He noted that coastal communities are experiencing financial difficulties following the impact of the previous hurricane. Informal settlements are particularly vulnerable, as heavily waterlogged soil increases the risk of landslides.

"Save as many lives as possible"

"The main goal is to save as many lives as possible," stressed Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

According to Nesephor Mghendi, Jamaican authorities have prepared approximately 800 shelters. Volunteers are assisting with evacuations, distributing humanitarian aid, and strengthening the early warning system.

Laerke added that, as part of the preventive mechanism activated by the UN, four million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund have been allocated for Cuba and Haiti to stockpile food, water, hygiene products, and medical supplies.

"What do people need to survive? Food, clean water, shelter, and medical care," he said. "When large-scale floods occur, clean water becomes scarce, leading to increased epidemiological risks."

When asked about the availability of humanitarian supplies, Mghendi stated that resources to assist 800 households have already been deployed in Jamaica. Furthermore, supplies for 60,000 households can be delivered to Jamaica and other Caribbean countries "within four hours."

"After their distribution, replenishment of supplies will be necessary, and we are counting on global solidarity," he emphasized. "At times like these, the world unites, and we expect that to be the case now. This is one of the 'storms of the century,' and I believe the global community will respond as one."

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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October 28, 2025 Human rights

The abuse of national and public security laws in Russia to silence critics of the war against Ukraine has reached alarming levels, stated UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation Mariana Katsarova. She presented her new report to the UN General Assembly.

Politically motivated charges

"Over the past three years, thousands of people have been imprisoned on politically motivated charges of treason, espionage, extremism, and terrorism, often based on fabricated evidence and in closed trials, with children and the elderly among those detained," Katsarova said in the report.

"In myreport “There is a persistent trend of using national security and public safety laws as a weapon to criminalize dissent and narrow the space for civic activity,” the Special Rapporteur noted.

According to her, since 2022, the number of prosecutions for treason has increased sharply – from dozens of cases before 2020 to 760 convictions by mid-2025. Espionage, according to Katsarova, has become widely used as a tool with a broad definition, particularly in the context of the war against Ukraine.

According to her report, before the full-scale invasion, there were five cases involving defendants accused of espionage, and by mid-2025, there were 159 such cases involving 182 defendants. Often, espionage charges were combined with terrorism charges, which can lead to harsher sentences.

Initiation of cases of terrorism and extremism

In 2025, Russian courts will issue more than five terrorism-related verdicts per day, a record high. Meanwhile, the national "List of Terrorists and Extremists" has grown from 1,600 names in 2022 to over 18,000 in 2025. The list includes more than 150 children and hundreds of organizations, according to Katsarova's report.

On October 14, the Federal Security Service announced it had opened a terrorism case against 22 members of the exiled Anti-War Committee of Russia.

"This demonstrates the authorities' determination to extend repression beyond national borders," Katsarova warned.

According to her, those being persecuted include prominent opposition politicians, businessmen, journalists, lawyers, cultural figures, and academics who criticize the war against Ukraine.

The Special Rapporteur noted that on October 22, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office demanded that the Supreme Court recognize the Anti-Corruption Foundation of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny as a "terrorist organization."

According to Katsarova's report, "extremism" provisions, which have no basis in international law, are being used to persecute anti-war critics, independent journalists, and individuals associated with Navalny. The term "extremist" is also applied to members of religious and ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, and the LGBT community. Hundreds of convictions for alleged "extremism" have been handed down, including over 100 in cases related to the activities of the LGBT community.

"Ukrainian prisoners are being tortured."

The report also details systematic torture and cruel treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians held in Russian custody. Most of the Ukrainian prisoners facing trial, Katsarova reports, are accused of espionage and terrorism and face lengthy prison sentences.

"Ukrainian prisoners are starved, deprived of medical care, and subjected to torture, including rape and electric shock," the Special Rapporteur said, stating that she had collected credible evidence of medical personnel's involvement in torture. "Thousands of Ukrainian civilians deported to Russia remain missing; information about their fate and whereabouts is unknown," the expert noted.

Katsarova called for the immediate release of all persons detained in Russia on political grounds, as well as for the immediate release of Ukrainian civilians in detention, including children, for accountability for torture and deaths in custody, and for an end to Russia's abuse of national and public security laws to suppress dissent and opposition to the war.

"Justice is impossible to achieve in Russia; those responsible for crimes enjoy complete impunity. When justice fails domestically, the international community must take action, including through universal jurisdiction, to bring perpetrators to justice and protect those at risk," the Special Rapporteur concluded.

Special Rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to examine either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are members of special procedures Human Rights Council. Special procedures experts are not UN staff and are independent of any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work.

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October 28, 2025 Human rights

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk welcomed the adoption by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) of a landmark regional declaration that affirms the right of people to live in a healthy environment. The document was approved on October 26 during 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Türk called the first regional recognition of this right in Southeast Asia a timely and crucial step forward. He said the decision demonstrates that environmental protection and human rights are inextricably linked, "especially in the face of multiple global crises, including climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss."

There is no time to delay.

"ASEAN countries now need to move from commitments to practical action as quickly as possible—enshrining the declaration's provisions into national laws, policies, and programs, including mechanisms for holding the private sector accountable for environmental damage. There is no time to waste, as environmental problems continue to worsen," the High Commissioner stated.

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The UN's top human rights defender emphasized the need for ASEAN countries to ensure coordinated leadership and prompt action to combat transboundary environmental damage, building on the adopted declaration and taking into account the views of the most affected groups, including women, youth, and indigenous peoples. He also called for respect for human rights defenders working on environmental issues.

Global recognition of environmental rights

The ASEAN Declaration was the latest document in the field of human rights and environmental protection agreed upon after the adoption resolution 76/300 The UN General Assembly, which recognizes the right of people throughout the world to a clean and healthy environment, as well as the recent adoption advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the responsibilities of states in connection with climate change.

Volker Türk emphasized that the UN Human Rights Office stands ready to support ASEAN and its member states in implementing the declaration, including through technical assistance, local capacity development, and the development of a regional action plan. He also called on countries in the region to continue advancing a human rights-based environmental agenda in line with rapidly evolving international standards in this area.

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October 27, 2025 Humanitarian aid

Since the ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip, more than 470,000 civilian displacements to the northern part of the enclave have been recorded, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Monday. Many families are returning to devastated areas, where they are threatened by collapsing buildings and unexploded ordnance.

"Water, food and essential services remain in short supply," OCHA said, noting that humanitarian organizations are struggling to meet growing demand as quickly as possible amid widespread destruction.

Humanitarian aid deliveries

Humanitarian aid continues to arrive in Gaza: more than 300 trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrived at the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing from Friday to Saturday. The supplies included flour, canned goods, rice, and ingredients for hot meals, as well as medical equipment, tents, tarps, and winter clothing.

According to the UN, hygiene kits, postnatal care kits, and shelter materials also arrived in the sector on Sunday. The UN Office for Project Services distributed approximately 329,000 liters of diesel fuel to support hospitals, communications, and food services.

Hot dishes and bread

Humanitarian partners, with the support of 170 community kitchens, have already provided over a million hot meals, primarily in southern and central Gaza. In Deir el-Balah, Khan Younis, and Gaza, 15 UN-supported bakeries produce bread daily, which is distributed free of charge to shelters and communities.

At the same time, efforts are underway to reduce the risk of unexploded ordnance as people begin to return to their homes. Over the weekend, nearly 3,200 residents of central and southern Gaza received safety training. Since October 2023, according to OCHA, there have been 150 incidents involving explosive ordnance, including those involving children.

Violence in the West Bank

Violence related to the olive harvest season, which began on October 9, continues in the occupied West Bank. More than 85 settler attacks on Palestinian farmers and their lands have disrupted the harvest. More than 110 people have been injured, and over 3,000 trees in 50 villages have been damaged. Seventeen attacks were recorded last week alone, primarily in the Ramallah area.

“Such incidents disrupt livelihoods and increase fear in farming communities,” OCHA noted.

Despite the arrival of aid, the UN warns that many Gazans are still deprived of basic necessities. Food, water, and shelter are in short supply, yet people are risking their lives to return home.

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October 27, 2025 Peace and security

The Rapid Intervention Force (RIF) is committing serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur region, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has warned.

According to the Office, there are reports of civilians being shot at as they attempted to flee the city. There are indications that the killings are being committed along ethnic lines, and that former combatants who have laid down their arms are being executed. This is prohibited by international humanitarian law, the UN recalls.

Urgent measures

"The risk of further large-scale ethnically motivated violations and atrocities in El Fasher is growing every day," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

He called for "urgent and concrete measures" to protect civilians and ensure safe passage for those trying to flee the fighting.

According to the OHCHR, hundreds of people, including a journalist, were detained while attempting to escape. There are also reports of civilian deaths, including local volunteers, as a result of artillery shelling last week.

Escalation of violence

On Monday, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is based in Southeast Asia, called what is happening in Darfur a "horrible escalation" of the conflict and emphasized that the time has come to "directly call out the countries interfering in the war and supplying weapons" to the parties to the conflict. He reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire.

According to the UN chief, the problem is not only the clashes between the army and the RSF, but also the increasingly obvious external interference, which is undermining the prospects for a ceasefire and a political settlement.

Civilians are under threat

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Denise Brown, said civilians fleeing El Fasher are often kidnapped for ransom.

According to her, humanitarian organizations are helping adults and children who are “dehydrated, exhausted, some are injured, and all without exception are in a state of shock.”

According to OHCHR reports, five men were executed by SRF fighters for attempting to deliver food to the besieged city, which has been under siege for 18 months. Some of the victims were reportedly accused of supporting the Sudanese armed forces.

Brown emphasized that only 27 percent of the necessary funding for humanitarian response has been secured. This prevents the UN from fully assisting people who have "survived violence, rape, and starvation."

Humanitarian workers under threat

Since the conflict in Sudan began in April 2023, nearly 130 aid workers have been killed, including volunteers in El Fasher.

"These people are the backbone of the humanitarian response in the most difficult areas, and they are also protected by international humanitarian law," Brown emphasized.

Volker Türk, in turn, reiterated that RSF commanders are obliged, in accordance with international law, to protect civilians and ensure safe access for humanitarian aid.

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