Shocking UN report reveals 70 lakh people die prematurely every year due to...
New Delhi: According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, sand and dust storms affect about 330 million people in more than 150 countries, and these are having a serious impact on health, economy and environment. What does WMO say?
WMO representative Laura Patterson told the United Nations General Assembly that about 2 billion tons of dust is released every year, which is equivalent to 300 Giza pyramids of Egypt. She said that more than 80% of the world's dust comes from the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. It spreads hundreds and thousands of kilometers, crossing continents and oceans. What is United Nations General Assembly, in resolution 77/249?
The United Nations General Assembly, in resolution 77/249, proclaimed 12 July as the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, and declared the period from 2025 to 2034 the United Nations Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms. General Assembly President Philemon Yang said that these storms are increasingly becoming a global challenge due to climate change, land degradation and non-sustainable practices. He said that the particles generated by these storms cause 7 million premature deaths every year. They increase respiratory and heart diseases. They reduce crop production by 25%, which increases the problems of hunger and migration. How much damage is caused by sand and dust?
Rola A. A. H. Dashti, the head of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, said, 'The annual cost of dealing with these storms in the Middle East and North Africa is $ 150 billion, which is about 2.5% of GDP.'
She said that storms in the Arab region this spring filled hospitals in Iraq with respiratory patients. Schools and offices in Kuwait and Iran were forced to close. Dashti stressed that it is important to include sand and dust storms on the global and national agenda. She stressed the need for collective will and funding to implement solutions such as land restoration, sustainable agriculture and integrated early warning systems.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
a day ago
- News18
Saudi Arabia's ‘Sleeping Prince' Passes Away After Nearly 20 Years In Coma
In its official statement, the Global Imams Council offered condolences and said,"As we share the grief of the Royal Family on this solemn occasion, we recall with deep respect the patience and steadfastness demonstrated by his father, Prince Khaled bin Talal, and his family — a testament to their profound faith in the will and decree of Allah." 'We pray that the Almighty Allah envelops the late Prince with His vast mercy, grants him a place in His eternal Paradise, and bestows patience and solace upon his family and loved ones," it added. At just 18 years old, the promising future of the Sleeping Prince was halted — but his family's resolve never wavered. Instead of withdrawing from the public eye, the family allowed glimpses into the prince's condition. Over the years, videos and photos surfaced showing him in a hospital bed, sometimes with subtle movements that ignited renewed hope. One such moment, when his father claimed the prince moved his fingers in response to speech, made headlines across the Arab world. Throughout the years, Prince Khaled bin Talal and his family refused to give up. They rejected calls to remove life support and instead placed their trust in divine will.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Saudi Arabia's ‘Sleeping Prince' dies: Why was Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled called so
The 'Sleeping Prince' Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled with his father Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud In a moment that has left hearts heavy across Saudi Arabia and beyond, Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, popularly known as the 'Sleeping Prince', passed away on July 19, 2025, the Royal Court confirmed through the Saudi Press Agency. Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled was 36 years old. His death brings a quiet end to a long, painful chapter of unwavering hope, patience, and fatherly devotion. Why is Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled called Saudi Arabia's 'Sleeping Prince' Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled's life changed forever in 2005 when, at the age of 15, a devastating car accident left him with severe brain injuries. He was studying at a military academy in London at that time. What was supposed to be the start of a bright, promising future became a two-decade-long battle between life and death for the Prince. Despite getting some of the best medical care in the world from American, Spanish, and Saudi specialists, and countless prayers, Prince Alwaleed remained in a coma. He only responded occasionally with minimal movements that kept his family's hope alive. During this difficult time, his father Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud became a symbol of unconditional love and undying faith. Over the years, he refused to give up on his son, rejecting calls to withdraw life support. Instead, he turned his palace into a sanctuary of prayers, often posting emotional messages and Quranic recitations on social media. Videos of the prince slightly moving to Quranic verses would often go viral, touching millions of hearts across the Arab world. For Prince Khaled, every small sign from the Sleeping Prince felt like a divine message of hope that one day his beloved son might open his eyes again. But, this never happened. The Sleeping Prince stayed in coma for 20 years, and passed away on July 19, 2025. Sharing the news of the passing away of his beloved son, Prince Khaled quoted the Quran and wrote in his emotional post on X (formerly Twitter), 'O reassured soul, return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him], and enter My Paradise…' With a heart full of faith in Allah's decree, the grieving father bid farewell to his son after 19 long years of standing by his side. Funeral prayers for Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled is scheduled for Sunday, July 20. For men, the prayer will be held after Asr at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, and for women, it followed Dhuhr at King Faisal Specialist Hospital. The palace opened its doors to mourners for three days, welcoming men in the Al-Fakhriyah district and women after Maghrib prayer. Prince Alwaleed's life became a rare and powerful story of hope, heartbreak, and a father's endless devotion. His memory will live on— not just as Saudi Arabia's 'Sleeping Prince,' but as a young soul who inspired millions to believe in love, prayer, and perseverance even in the face of impossible odds. Royal Showdown Caught on Camera: Harry & Charles' Teams Clash | Body Language Expert Breaks It Down
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
Where humanity ends in Palestine, a writer offers his library in exchange for food
Asentence is not a loaf of bread, releasing steam as it is torn apart and dipped into fresh olive oil and zaatar. A beautiful metaphor offers little where the fragrance of a fresh meal is in danger of becoming a memory, and even the coldest can of beans does more for a hungry stomach than any word in any language can. And so, Omar Hamad — pharmacist, tailor, writer and eyewitness to the death and starvation in Gaza — shares an appeal on social media, offering his library in exchange for a sack of flour. Because what place do books have in a land where access to food is now wielded like a weapon? 'I once plucked roses from language,' Hamad recalls in a short essay on LitHub. But even for a writer, books can qualify as a necessity only when the sharp edge of hunger is sheathed — not when there are mouths to feed, wounds to salve, bodies to count. Twenty-one months of conflict have made Gaza, as United Nations officials have reported, 'the hungriest place on Earth'. From rice to lentils to baby formula, even the most staple of foods have been made scarce by Israeli blockades and reports emerge every day of desperate, hungry people being crushed to death by others who are just as famished and just as desperate, begging for relief at aid hubs. This is the double tragedy of Gaza where, for millennia, olive trees and poetry grew in equal profusion. Literature may be immortal, but for an entire population that faces starvation, books, too, have been reduced to mere possessions, emergency currency to be exchanged for food. The cultural devastation of Gaza since October 2023 is heartbreaking, with libraries, museums and ancient cultural sites destroyed by bombing. But as hunger stalks through the Strip, there will come a time when the world must reckon with a greater, incalculable loss.
