U.N. Suspends Gaza Aid, Blames Israel

Staff / Truthdig Jan 9, 2009 The United Nations is suspending relief activity in the Gaza Strip following multiple attacks by Israeli forces. "Our installations have been hit, our workers have been killed in spite of the fact that the Israeli authorities have the co-ordinates of our facilities and that all our movements are co-ordinated with the Israeli army," said a U.N. Relief and Works Agency spokesman quoted by the BBC. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Donations to Burma, China Tighten Up

Staff / Truthdig May 23, 2008 Americans apparently have a track record of opening their wallets to assist those in need after natural disasters at home and abroad. That was the case, at least, after the 2004 tsunami in Asia and Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. in 2005. But the picture looks different in the wake of the recent cyclone in Burma and the earthquake in China, leaving international trend-watchers asking: What gives? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.N. Head Surveys Burma Damage

Staff / Truthdig May 23, 2008 After putting pressure on Burma's ruling military junta, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has traveled to Burma, where he is taking stock of the devastation left by Cyclone Nargis on May 2. Ban also met with Prime Minister Thein Sein, who told him that the storm-ravaged country is out of the relief phase and into reconstruction. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.N. Envoy Heads to Burma With Urgent Relief Message

Staff / Truthdig May 18, 2008 More than two weeks have passed since Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, killing 78,000 people and leaving tens of thousands more unaccounted for. Now the U.N. is pushing Burma's ruling junta to cooperate with international aid efforts, sending an envoy with a message from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in hopes that a more personal approach will produce lifesaving results. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.N. to Resume Burma Aid

Staff / Truthdig May 9, 2008 The U.N. has announced it will resume aid to Burma after conflicts over how food and equipment were to be distributed grounded relief flights. Cyclone Nargis has killed at least 22,000 Burmese, and the ruling junta has been categorically criticized for its ineptitude in dealing with the disaster. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Crisis Deepens in Burma as Cyclone Toll Passes 22,000

Staff / Truthdig May 6, 2008 As more details of the devastation left by Cyclone Nargis in Burma emerge, it's becoming clear that the storm is one of the worst disasters in years The Burmese government is being criticized for responding inadequately and too slowly to the crisis, and President Bush, himself no stranger to this kind of criticism, is calling on Burma's "military junta [to] allow our disaster assessment teams into the country" in order to help. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Actions Speak Louder Than Empty Promises

Staff / Truthdig Aug 27, 2006 A year after the levees broke, Bush has again acknowledged his government's failure to protect and rescue the citizens of New Orleans, promising "the federal government will learn the lessons of Katrina." Although the president pledged $110 billion for reconstruction, one of Louisiana's senators has criticized the slow progress of rebuilding: "Countless neighborhoods appear as if the hurricanes were just yesterday, and they serve as harsh reminders of how our nation was so unprepared." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )