The U.S. was not among the more than 100 United Nations member states that signed a new letter of support for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres after Israel’s foreign minister declared him “persona non grata” and barred him from entering the country.

The letter, spearheaded by Chile, said Israel’s attack on Guterres would “undermine the United Nations’ ability to carry out its mandate, which includes mediating conflicts and providing humanitarian support.”

“In the Middle East, this could further delay an end to all hostilities and the establishment of a credible path towards the two-state solution, with the state of Palestine and Israel living side by side in peace and security,” the letter continues. “We reaffirm our full support and confidence in the secretary-general and his work.”

Signatories to the letter include France, China, Lebanon, Iran, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Brazil, and the African Union. Notably absent from the list were nations that have supplied Israel with arms during its yearlong assault on Gaza, including the U.S., Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Canada. 

Earlier this month, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared Guterres banned from entering Israel, falsely accusing the U.N. chief of failing to condemn Iran’s ballistic missile barrage and the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023. Katz reiterated his position on Sunday, writing on social media that “Guterres can continue seeking support from U.N. member states, but the decision will not change.”| 

Guterres, a persistent advocate of a cease-fire agreement in the region and critic of the United States’ failure to exert pressure on its ally, did not respond directly to the Israeli foreign minister’s statement, but a spokesperson for the U.N. chief called it “one more attack on the United Nations staff that we’ve seen from the government of Israel.”

The letter of support for Guterres came after Israeli forces repeatedly fired on U.N. peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon, injuring at least four soldiers. Guterres called the attacks “intolerable.”

On Saturday, dozens of nations that contribute troops to the U.N. Interim Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) issued a joint statement condemning “recent attacks on the UNIFIL peacekeepers” and calling for an international investigation of the Israeli attack last week.

“We urge the parties to the conflict to respect UNIFIL’s presence, which entails the obligation to guarantee the safety and security of its personnel at all times, so that they can continue to implement its mandate and continue their work of mediation and support for peace and stability in Lebanon and the entire region,” the statement added.

The U.S. does not contribute troops to UNIFIL. In a statement on Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the Biden administration is “deeply concerned about reports that Israeli forces fired on positions and a tower used by UNIFIL
peacekeepers in Lebanon.”

Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, wrote in response, “I don’t believe anymore that the Biden administration is ‘concerned’ about any of this — the killing of thousands of civilians, the targeting of journalists and aid workers and peacekeepers.”

“What actual evidence is there of this supposed concern?” he asked. By By Jake Johnson , Common Dreams,  Truthout

Malawi has recently recorded the sudden deaths of dogs that consumed meals prepared from maize husks contaminated with aflatoxins.

Veterinary experts say the country has recorded 450 dog deaths since April, when the first cases were identified in Malawi’s commercial city, Blantyre.

Aflatoxins are toxic substances produced by fungi that grow on pet food ingredients like peanuts, corn and other grains. Experts warn that the accumulation of those toxins in an animal’s body can lead to liver damage, blood clotting and, in severe cases, death.

Timothy Banda is the veterinary clinic manager at the Blantyre Society for the Protection and Care of Animals, which has been testing the dogs. He told VOA that symptoms include a yellowish tint on the dog‘s skin, hemorrhagic diarrhoea or bloody diarrhoea, and sometimes vomiting.

"For the past two, three weeks, we haven’t received any death from the problem," he said. "But from the time it started somewhere around April up to somewhere around early August, the estimations could be somewhere around 450 dogs so far have died.”

He said the aflatoxin contamination was suspected after it was observed that the dogs were not responding to treatment.

“Under normal circumstances, once we started the right treatment, we could get good results, but in this scenario, they were all dying despite whatever treatment was given. Nothing could work out,” Banda said.

Banda said the affected dogs were those fed with nsima, a thick porridge prepared from maize or maize husks. Alfred Manda, a resident of Chirimba township, said that he lost three dogs in August.

“The kind of food I mostly give out to my dogs is nsima flour made from leftover maize called madeya," he said. "To me, I thought it was a healthy diet. I wish I knew earlier. I could have done things better to save my dogs, but unfortunately, this is the sad reality that I have faced.”

Health experts warn that aflatoxins can also cause tumours in the livers of animals and humans. But health officials in Malawi, where maize is the staple food, have not reported any human deaths resulting from consuming contaminated maize.

In Zambia, media reports indicate over 400 dogs died in July after consuming maize meal contaminated with aflatoxins. Malawi authorities are advising dog owners to switch to alternative foods, such as rice, until the problem is contained. Source: VOA