Daily World Briefing, June 21

Gaza hostilities affect child health -- UN

Hostilities in Gaza trigger aid access restrictions and drive up child malnourishment rates, said the world body on Friday.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said the 5,100-plus children between 6 months and 5 years of age admitted for acute malnutrition treatment in May represented a nearly 50 percent increase compared to April, and a 150 percent hike compared to February when a ceasefire was in effect and aid was entering the strip in significant quantities.

UNICEF said that in the first five months of this year, more than 16,700 children, or an average of 112 each day, were admitted for malnutrition treatment in Gaza. Each one of these cases is preventable. The food, water and nutrition treatments these children desperately need are being blocked from reaching them.

Arab FMs convene emergency meeting in Istanbul over Iran-Israel conflict

Arab League foreign ministers held an emergency meeting in Istanbul on Friday to address rising tensions between Iran and Israel, Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Citing diplomatic sources, Anadolu said the talks focused on the consequences of the recent hostilities and their potential impact on regional stability.

After a closed-door meeting, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who chaired the session, told reporters the international community must act to prevent a full-scale war, warning that global peace and security were at risk.

"The attacks must stop, and negotiations should begin to reach a political solution on Iran's nuclear program," Safadi said. He warned the region was on the edge of a deep abyss and faced a dangerous moment.

U.S. federal judge allows Harvard hosting foreign students

A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration's efforts to keep Harvard University from hosting international students.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that Harvard preserves the ability to host foreign students while the case is decided, local media reported Friday.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security on May 22 revoked Harvard's certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, forcing roughly 7,000 foreign students at Harvard to transfer or risk being in the United States illegally.

Harvard sued the department, calling it illegal retaliation for its rejecting the Trump administration's demands to overhaul Harvard policies around campus protests, admissions, hiring and other issues. Burroughs temporarily halted the action hours after Harvard sued.

In early June, President Donald Trump blocked foreign students from entering the United States to attend Harvard, citing a different legal justification. Harvard challenged the move and Burroughs temporarily blocked the effort again.

UN refugee chief sees "fragile" hope in Syria as 2 million displaced return

UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said on Friday Syria's situation was both "fragile and hopeful" as returns of displaced people continue.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus on World Refugee Day during his second visit to Syria this year, Grandi said some 2 million Syrians have returned since December 2024, including both refugees and internally displaced people.

Grandi told Xinhua that about 1.4 to 1.5 million people displaced inside Syria had returned to their homes, while around 600,000 had come back from neighboring countries, including Lebanon, Jordan, and Türkiye. "Two million is still a fraction of the overall number but remains significant."

Grandi said Sudan had overtaken Syria as the world's biggest displacement crisis, with 14 million displaced -- 10 million internally and 4 million abroad.

IAEA warns of severe consequences if Iran's Bushehr plant is attacked

The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is the Iranian nuclear site where the consequences of an attack could be most severe, the United Nations nuclear watchdog chief warned on Friday.

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), made the remarks during a UN Security Council session via video link, noting that countries in the region had contacted him over the past few hours to express deep concern.

Grossi emphasized that a direct hit on the plant could result in a significant release of radioactivity into the environment. Bushehr is an operational facility housing thousands of kilograms of nuclear material. A strike disabling its only two power lines could lead to a meltdown of the reactor's core, similarly causing a major radioactive release, he explained.

He warned that in worst-case scenarios, protective actions such as evacuation, sheltering, or the use of stable iodine could be required, with impacts potentially reaching several hundred kilometres. Radiation monitoring and food restrictions might also be necessary across wide areas.■