End of the last nuclear disarmament treaty between the US and Russia
The expiration of the New START Treaty leaves the strategic nuclear arsenal of the United States and Russia, the world's two largest nuclear powers, without legal limits.
The agreement, in effect since 2010 and extended in 2021 for five years, set a maximum of 1550 strategic nuclear warheads and 700 delivery systems per country. With its expiration, the last framework regulating these arsenals disappears.
The United States and Russia possess 87% of the world's existing nuclear weapons , a scenario that the Secretary General describes as a "grave moment" for international peace and security.
UN committee publishes its findings on Colombia and Spain
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed its deep concern about the impact of the conflict in Colombia on children, especially the increased recruitment and use of minors by non-state armed groups , as well as sexual violence against girls.
The Committee also denounced the killing and mutilation of children during military operations and the use of digital platforms for their recruitment and exploitation.
He called on the State to ensure that “all military operations are planned and carried out in strict compliance with international law” and demanded “an immediate end to the recruitment of children and the release of minors still associated with armed groups.”
The Committee urged Spain to set 18 years as the minimum age to participate in or attend activities related to bullfighting without exception and to strengthen the protection of minors against harmful content in media and digital platforms, guaranteeing their right to privacy.
The persistently high levels of child poverty and social exclusion, along with insufficient public investment in family and child benefits, also generated concern.
Reports of mistreatment of Palestinians returning to Gaza through Rafah
The UN Human Rights Office received consistent testimonies from Palestinians who returned to Gaza through the Rafah crossing and reported ill-treatment, abuse, and humiliation.
According to these accounts, the returnees were handcuffed, blindfolded, threatened, subjected to invasive searches , and robbed of money and belongings. Some reported being denied access to medical care and restrooms, which resulted in “extreme humiliation.”
There were also reports of pressure to accept money in exchange for not returning to Gaza or to act as informants.
The UN warns that these events “point to a pattern of conduct that violates the rights to personal security, dignity and protection from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.”
UNRWA denounces a new disinformation campaign
The United Nations denounced that disinformation against UNRWA has been used as a weapon of war during the conflict in Gaza, as part of a sustained campaign to discredit and destroy the main agency assisting Palestinian refugees.
The latest accusation, based on Israeli army videos showing sacks of flour bearing the UNRWA logo alongside ammunition, “ again lacks verifiable evidence ,” according to the UN.
The agency notes that it distributed [something] in 2024 alone about three million sacks of flour weighing 25 kilos eachand that in Gaza these sacks are reused for multiple purposes due to extreme scarcity.
“There are empty sacks all over Gaza,” UNRWA emphasizes, rejecting the accusations.