Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
Deputy President Mashatile leads clean cities and towns campaign In the Mangaung Metro Municipality, Bloemfontein, Free State Province (05 August 2025)
South Africa: Durban Port Profiling roads 2 HD 720p
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
Port of Durban newly acquired RTB’s to improve capacity and efficiency
South Africa: Durban Port Profiling of new tug boats
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
Durban port profiling of new tug boats
South Africa: Durban Port Profiling roads HD 720p
Israel/Palestine: ‘Hamas continues to hold 50 hostages in horrific conditions’ | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
“Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups continue to hold 50 hostages, 28 of whom are thought to be deceased, in captivity in horrific conditions,” the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, Miroslav Jenča, told the Security Council.
Briefing the Security Council today (Aug 05), Jenča said that released hostages had described “distressing accounts of deprivation, ill-treatment, and abuse,” while armed groups had circulated videos showing detainees clearly suffering and speaking under duress. “Since 7 October 2023, Hamas and other armed groups have circulated dozens of videos of hostages,” he said.
The meeting came days after the release of new footage by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad showing two Israeli hostages, Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, visibly emaciated and with David being forced to dig his own grave.
Ilay David, the brother of Evyatar David, said, “My brother was a living skeleton. He had barely the strength to move or speak.” He added, “We were reminded just how much more cruel and inhumane Hamas and its sick partners are.”
David urged the international community to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the hostages. “While aid flows into Gaza to help the population, the hostages are being denied even the most basic necessities of life. They haven’t received the shred of humanitarian aid since they were captive. This is a flagrant violation of international law,” he said.
Russian Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy said it was “evident that Israel’s complete freedom of action would have been impossible without direct military support and international political cover from the United States. Illustrative in this regard was the joint U.S.-Israeli boycott of the high-level international conference in support of the two-state solution, held from July 28 to 30, as well as Washington’s futile attempts to dissuade its partners from participating in this representative forum.”
The US Representative Dorothy Shea said, “We must be clear that unproductive publicity stunts like last week’s Two State Solution Conference and unilateral announcements regarding recognition of a Palestinian state undercut the efforts of mediators and prolong the war.”
Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said, Israel is “demanding that the world take a stance against conditions of captivity of Israelis when it is holding two million people captive under its deadly siege, when 76 Palestinian prisoners have died under torture or starving or due to medical neglect in the last 20 months alone.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said, “The Palestinians invented terrorism as a way to promote their means, and it includes all Palestinians fractions. And until this very day, the Palestinian Authority continue to pay salaries to terrorists and terrorist families accordingly to the crime the terrorists committed, and this is how they encourage terrorism until this very day.”
Speaking to reporters before the Security Council’s meeting Saar said certain countries had undermined negotiations by supporting Palestinian state recognition. “They gave Hamas free gifts and an incentive to continue this war. They directly assassinated the hostage deal and ceasefire,” he said. “Let me be clear, these countries prolonged the war.”
How does IMF lending work? – Ask an Economist
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
When countries face crises, the IMF provides financial support to help restore stability and growth. But how does IMF lending actually work? We explain in our latest edition of Ask an Economist.
Watch our latest Ask an Economist to get a quick explanation of how IMF lending works.
The IMF provides short-term loans to countries in crisis at an interest rate much lower than the market. Our latest Ask an Economist explains – in under 60 seconds – how IMF lending works.
Israel on Palestine – Security Council Media Stakeout | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Comments to the media by Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations and Gideon Saar, Foreign Minister of Israel on the situation in Palestine.
Palestine, Sudan & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (05 August 2025) | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Secretary – General / Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries
Plastic Pollution
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Sudan
Afghanistan / Refugees
India / UN Partnership For South – South Cooperation on the SDGS
PLASTIC POLLUTION
The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, opened today in Geneva. The session, which will continue until 14 August, aims to finalize and approve the text of the agreement and forward it for consideration and adoption at a future Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries.
Noting that countries are negotiating a global plastics treaty to help beat plastic pollution, the Secretary-General emphasized that we need a fair deal that tackles the full life-cycle of plastics, reflects the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on Climate Change and supports a shift away from fossil fuels.
Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, pointed out that plastic pollution is already in nature, in our oceans and even in our bodies. And plastic leakage to the environment is predicted to grow 50 per cent by 2040, she added.
If we continue on the current trajectory, Ms. Andersen warned, the world will be drowning in plastic pollution – with massive consequences for planetary, economic and human health. She stressed that agreeing to a treaty text is the first step to beating plastic pollution for everyone, everywhere.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
This afternoon at 3:00 pm, the Security Council will hold a briefing on the situation in the Middle East. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča will brief, and the Council will also hear from Ilay David, the brother of a hostage who is being held in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that people continue to struggle to survive in Gaza. With starvation on the rise, the volumes of supplies that are entering Gaza remain insufficient to meet people’s needs. In addition, the UN and our humanitarian partners continue to face many impediments preventing us from bringing in aid in sufficient quantities and distributing it to communities.
UN partners working on food assistance warn that massive food shortages continue to impact people’s chances for survival. As malnutrition levels are rising, children are more likely to have weakened immune systems, hindering their development and growth far into the future.
Last Thursday, 71 kitchens prepared and delivered more than 270,000 hot meals across Gaza. These included 10,000 meals delivered to health facilities, most of which are struggling to operate as mass casualties, widespread destruction and shortages of basic necessities continue to overwhelm the healthcare system.
The number of meals being provided is far below the minimum required to reach more than two million people in Gaza. We need an urgent scale-up of supplies, as well as an environment that allows humanitarians to reach people in need safely, rapidly and efficiently.
UN staff working in health say that some quantities of medicine have managed to reach Gaza in recent days. Medicine shortages place an additional strain on healthcare workers who continue to work under immense pressure and with very limited resources.
The World Health Organization (WHO) noted that the number of people diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome – a rare, potentially deadly condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves – has reached 46 cases and two deaths in July, with 38 per cent of the cases requiring intensive treatment.
This syndrome can be caused by a compromised immune system, poor nutrition and hygiene-related infections. WHO is working with the Health Ministry to continue surveillance of cases and address the gaps related to diagnostics and treatment.
Yesterday, the UN was able to bring three fuel tankers to Gaza City. The fuel was offloaded in a UNOPS-managed fuel station and will be used to power the most critical health, water and sanitation and emergency telecommunication facilities. OCHA once again stresses that much more fuel is needed daily to run emergency operations. Current levels of fuel are only allowing the UN and our partners to function at the bare minimum.
The UN and its partners working on water, sanitation and hygiene underscore that access to clean water remains limited, putting people’s health and well-being at risk. Ninety-six per cent of households across Gaza surveyed by our partners in July face moderate to severe challenges in accessing clean water – whether to drink, bathe their children or wash dishes.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=05%20August%202025
5 Facts on Plastic Treaty | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Plastic pollution poses a serious threat to human health and the environment, with over 430 million tonnes of plastic produced every year, two-thirds of which soon become waste. In 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly began to develop an international treaty on plastic pollution. Negotiations to finalize a global agreement are underway in Geneva from 5 to 14 August 2025.