عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Iranian Commander Repeats Threats to Israel

This picture shows projectiles being intercepted by Israel near the northern city of Baqa al-Gharbiya on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)
This picture shows projectiles being intercepted by Israel near the northern city of Baqa al-Gharbiya on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)
TT
TT

Iranian Commander Repeats Threats to Israel

This picture shows projectiles being intercepted by Israel near the northern city of Baqa al-Gharbiya on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)
This picture shows projectiles being intercepted by Israel near the northern city of Baqa al-Gharbiya on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)

The chief of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened Israel on Thursday with more missile barrages if it strikes Iran.
“Do not repeat your mistake — if you misbehave, if you strike anything of ours either in the region or in Iran, we will again hit you painfully,” said Gen. Hossein Salami in a funeral ceremony for Iranian Guard commander Abbas Nilforoushan, who was killed alongside the head of the Hezbollah militant group in Beirut in September.
Salami said a missile barrage by Iran on Israel earlier in October in retaliation for killing Nasrallah and Nilforoushan was the “tiniest” action by Iran. He said an air defense battery deployed to Israel by the US will not prevent Iranian retaliation, The Associated Press said.
“We do know about your weakness, and you know too,” said Salami.
Earlier this month, Iran launched some 180 missiles at Israel in retaliation for the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, killed in Iran in July, as well as Nilforoushan and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who were killed in Israel strikes on Beirut in September.
Iran is the main backer of Hezbollah and supports militant groups opposed to Israel across the region including Hamas.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

UN Report: 1.1 Billion People in Acute Poverty

A woman sweeps the veranda at the Grande Hotel in Beira, Mozambique on October 12, 2024. (Photo by Zinyange Auntony / AFP)
A woman sweeps the veranda at the Grande Hotel in Beira, Mozambique on October 12, 2024. (Photo by Zinyange Auntony / AFP)
TT
TT

UN Report: 1.1 Billion People in Acute Poverty

A woman sweeps the veranda at the Grande Hotel in Beira, Mozambique on October 12, 2024. (Photo by Zinyange Auntony / AFP)
A woman sweeps the veranda at the Grande Hotel in Beira, Mozambique on October 12, 2024. (Photo by Zinyange Auntony / AFP)

More than one billion people are living in acute poverty across the globe, a UN Development Program report said Thursday, with children accounting for over half of those affected.

The paper published with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) highlighted that poverty rates were three times higher in countries at war, as 2023 saw the most conflicts around the world since the Second World War.

The UNDP and the OPHI have published their Multidimensional Poverty Index annually since 2010, harvesting data from 112 countries with a combined population of 6.3 billion people, AFP reported.

It uses indicators such as a lack of adequate housing, sanitation, electricity, cooking fuel, nutrition and school attendance.

"The 2024 MPI paints a sobering picture: 1.1 billion people endure multidimensional poverty, of which 455 million live in the shadow of conflict," said Yanchun Zhang, chief statistician at the UNDP.

"For the poor in conflict-affected countries, the struggle for basic needs is a far harsher and more desperate battle," Zhang told AFP.

The report echoed last year's findings that 1.1 billion out of 6.1 billion people across 110 countries were facing extreme multidimensional poverty.

Thursday's paper showed that some 584 million people under 18 were experiencing extreme poverty, accounting for 27.9 percent of children worldwide, compared with 13.5 percent of adults.

It also showed that 83.2 percent of the world's poorest people live in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Sabina Alkire, director of the OPHI, told AFP that conflicts were hindering efforts for poverty reduction.

"At some level, these findings are intuitive. But what shocked us was the sheer magnitude of people who are struggling to live a decent life and at the same time fearing for their safety -- 455 million," she said.

"This points to a stark but unavoidable challenge to the international community to both zero in on poverty reduction and foster peace, so that any ensuing peace actually endures," Alkire added.

India was the country with the largest number of people in extreme poverty, which impacts 234 million of its 1.4 billion population.

It was followed by Pakistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The five countries accounted for nearly half of the 1.1 billion poor people.