“Palestinians have been killed and injured. Their homes and property have been damaged. Their livestock have been attacked.”
Record damage levels
Fletcher said more trees have been damaged and more communities affected this year than in the previous six years combined.
“Failure to prevent or punish such attacks is incompatible with international law,” he warned. “Palestinians must be protected. Impunity cannot prevail. The perpetrators must be held accountable.”
His comments follow warnings from the UN Spokesperson’s Office last week that violence by Israeli settlers has increased across the West Bank, often under the watch of Israeli security forces.
The UN has repeatedly urged Israel, as the occupying power, to prevent further attacks and ensure accountability.
The incidents coincide with the annual olive harvesting season, a crucial source of income for thousands of Palestinian families, now increasingly disrupted by harassment and destruction of farmland.
Madagascar’s hunger crisis deepens amid drought and disease, UN warns
Madagascar faces a worsening humanitarian emergency as drought, cyclones and disease outbreaks devastate communities in the country’s south, the United Nations warned Tuesday.
Speaking in New York, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the situation in the Grand Sud and Grand Sud-Est regions has become “increasingly serious” due to successive climate crises and the persistent impact of El Niño.
“The combination of drought, the recent cyclone season, a malaria outbreak and overstretched health systems has left many communities with little resilience,” he told reporters.
A farmer in Madagascar collects his harvest.
Hunger increases rapidly
According to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, the number of people facing emergency food insecurity in Grand Sud is expected to quadruple to 110,000 by January 2026, while almost 160,000 children suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
Haq said aid operations have been crippled by funding cuts, forcing partners to close life-saving programs.
A new National Humanitarian Response Plan aims to raise $185 million to address hunger, malnutrition and disease by April 2026, but faces a $125 million shortfall.
“The UN is requesting $85 million to meet the most urgent needs of 1.5 million people,” he said.
Against this backdrop, the country is also experiencing serious political turmoil. Last month, the UN condemned what it described as an “unconstitutional change of government” in Madagascar, following youth-led protests and a military takeover.
Rising unrest and instability are adding further strain to humanitarian efforts and underscoring the urgency of the crisis.
Only 5 percent of European children aged 7 to 9 eat enough fruits and vegetables
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only five percent of children between seven and nine years old in Europe eat enough fruits and vegetables.
This is indicated by the latest study from the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) of the World Health Organization (WHO), which shows that obesity and overweight figures remain stubbornly high.
This is contributing to rising rates of diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and other life-threatening non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
According to the WHO, in participating countries, one in four children aged seven to nine years was overweight, which includes cases of obesity.
The study found that boys were more likely to be obese than girls.
Online orders: new obesity threat
Unhealthy foods are still widespread; However, for the first time, the WHO reported on an increasingly important dietary factor: online ordering.
In 18 countries surveyed, up to 39 percent reported ordering online at least once a month, suggesting a trend toward greater reliance on prepared or home-delivered meals.
According to the WHO, maintaining healthier diets (such as eating more fresh fruits, consuming less sweets and soft drinks) and engaging in regular physical activity is closely related to the socioeconomic environment.
The report noted that healthier eating habits are more common among children whose parents have higher levels of education, while children from families with lower parental education are more likely to walk or ride a bike.
“A healthier food environment, better labeling and better taxation of sugary products can help make nutritional choices easier and combat the obesity epidemic,” the UN health agency stressed.