Gaza
(UN News) As Gaza’s fragile ceasefire frays and humanitarian conditions deteriorate, a senior UN envoy warned the Security Council on Thursday that delays in implementing the Council-backed transition plan for the enclave will only increase suffering and undermine recovery. Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said the situation across the Occupied Palestinian Territory was becoming “increasingly precarious”, with mounting violence in both Gaza and the West Bank. “In Gaza, delays in the implementation of resolution 2803, alongside daily violence and a continuing humanitarian crisis, have replaced the early momentum following the ceasefire,” he said. The resolution adopted last November endorsed the US peace plan to end the conflict, authorising the Board of Peace transitional authority and backing an International Stabilization Force, paving the way for Israeli withdrawal. – Gaza risks ‘permanent’ state of limbo if transition plan stalls, Security Council hears | UN News
Haiti
(UN News) As gangs continue to “terrorise” communities in Haiti, children are the ones paying the highest price, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict warned on Thursday. Children now constitute around half of the gang members who have taken de facto control of large swathes of the country, Vanessa Frazier told journalists at UN Headquarters, following her first fact-finding mission to the Caribbean island nation. Some 18,000 schools are reported destroyed, damaged or non-functional. “Today, children in Haiti are facing levels of violence that no child, anywhere, should ever endure,” she said. – Haitian children ‘paying the highest price’ amid surge in gang recruitment | UN News
US – Poland
(Rebecca Falconer, Dave Lawler – Axios) The U.S. will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, President Trump said Thursday. Trump’s surprise announcement came a week after the Pentagon abruptly canceled a planned deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland. The Trump administration had previously said 5,000 troops would be withdrawn from Germany and that further troop reductions in Europe were expected. Trump wrote on Truth Social that his decision was based on the election last year of Poland’s conservative President Karol Nawrocki, whom he endorsed. Poland has in recent months faced threats from Russia that included NATO and Polish forces having to shoot down Russian drones that had violated the EU country’s airspace. – Trump: US to send 5,000 more troops to Poland
Defense
(Tim Martin – Breaking Defense) The Netherlands has opened talks with the US government to acquire more AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER) weapons for its fleet of F-35 fifth-generation fighter jets, according to a national defense projects document. “The Ministry of Defense is procuring additional Deep Precision Strike munitions to replenish operational stocks,” the report said, released on Wednesday. “Discussions with the U.S. government regarding the procurement of these munitions have now begun.”. The program update noted that a Letter of Acceptance has also been signed, allowing “necessary software” to enable deployment of the Lockheed Martin-made missile. – Netherlands eyes more JASSM weapons for F-35, discloses ASW frigate delivery delay – Breaking Defense
Smart Cities
(UN News) From AI-powered transit systems to digital twins and flood-proof parks, cities are embracing technology at an unprecedented scale. But as innovation accelerates, experts warn that inclusion, trust and security will determine who truly benefits. At a sprawling urban expo in Baku, visitors paused before giant digital screens flickering with flood simulations, subway control systems and virtual replicas of entire neighbourhoods. Across the space, cities offered a vision of urban life reshaped by artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and real-time data – a glimpse of what many governments now call the “city of the future.”. Few cities illustrate the scale of smart-city ambition quite like Shanghai. At the China Pavilion at the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, officials showcased how the city is using big data and artificial intelligence to build what it calls a “Unified Management with One Network” platform – a vast system bringing together transportation, infrastructure, emergency response and public services. Shanghai has also sought to narrow the digital divide. Through its “One-stop Government Service” portal, residents can access more than 3,500 public services online. – Building the smart city: Promise, pitfalls and the people at its heart | UN News
