UN agencies warn surging humanitarian crisis in Lebanon

China

UN agencies warn surging humanitarian crisis in Lebanon

2024-11-23 10:58 Last Updated At：12:37

Multiple United Nations agencies warned on Friday that the prolonged conflict between Lebanon and Israel has led to a surging humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.

At a press conference held by the United Nations Office in Geneva on Friday, officials from UN agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), stated that as Israel's military operations in Lebanon continue and the humanitarian disaster in Lebanon continues to deepen, there is a general sense of uncertainty and fear among the people.

According to data from UN agencies, nearly 1 million people have been displaced across Lebanon to date, accounting for 20 percent of the total population, and nearly 600,000 people have crossed the border into Syria.

"In recent weeks, Israel dramatically intensified its airstrikes and ground incursions, and this has deepened the humanitarian catastrophe that has affected civilians. The past few weeks have been the deadliest and the most devastating for Lebanon and its people in decades," said Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR representative in Lebanon.

WHO also said in a statement on Friday that the Lebanon-Israel conflict has caused great damage to Lebanon's medical system, as a total of 226 medical staff and patients died in Lebanon between Oct 7, 2023 and Nov 18, 2024, and 15 of the 153 hospitals have ceased operations or are only partially operating in the country.

China's online retail sales up 8.8 pct from January to October

2024-11-23 11:45 Last Updated At：12:07

China's e-commerce sector has maintained healthy growth from January to October, with total online retail sales rising by 8.8 percent during the period, according to the Ministry of Commerce on Friday.

In the first 10 months this year, the country's online retail sales totaled 12.4 trillion yuan (about 1.7 trillion U.S. dollars). Of this, online retail sales of physical goods reached 10.3 trillion yuan (about 1.4 trillion U.S. dollars), up 8.3 percent year on year, the ministry's data showed.

In October, boosted by the National Day holiday, the 'Double 11' shopping festival and trade-in program, online retail sales maintained steady growth, with rapid increases in the purchase of digital products and service consumption.

For example, online sales of smart home devices and mobile phones rose by 14.2 percent and 12.2 percent year on year, respectively, in October, while sales of range hoods and household stoves surged by 93 percent and 46.8 percent, respectively. Internet service consumption also increased by 15.5 percent.

In addition, the expansion of e-commerce has helped increase online sales of overseas fresh produce by making it easier to reach Chinese consumers.

From January to October, sales of Chilean cherries and Malaysian durians on Chinese e-commerce platforms increased by 107.8 percent and 23.6 percent year on year, respectively, according to the data.