The United Nations has expressed serious concern over the deadly missile strike on a girls' school in Iran, and warns the serious impact of the escalating regional tension over civilians.
Speaking at a regular briefing at UN headquarters on Monday, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said that the UN has seen the reporting on the attack on the girls' school and the horrendous deaths of the students.
As a number of U.S. officials have announced to carry out independent investigation, the UN looks forward to the sharing of related results, he added.
The UN is also increasingly concerned about the escalating conflict across the Middle East, and reiterates that all possible precautions must be taken to protect civilians from the impact of hostilities, he said.
"We continue raising the alarm over the humanitarian impact of escalating violence across parts of the Middle East, which is driving rising civilian casualties, damage to civilian infrastructure, and growing displacement of people," he said. Dujarric added that recent reports of attacks on energy facilities and desalination plants are particularly worrying, as they could pose serious environmental and public health risks.
The UN continues to call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and pursue diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis, he said.
UN voices concern about deadly Iranian school strike, expects independent investigation
UN voices concern about deadly Iranian school strike, expects independent investigation
UN voices concern about deadly Iranian school strike, expects independent investigation
As floodwaters from Typhoon Maysak receded, the jasmine fields of China's "jasmine capital" Hengzhou in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region sprang back to life, with the local flower market welcoming its peak buying season.
In early July, the typhoon drenched the region with storm and flood, inundating nearly 60 percent of Hengzhou's jasmine plantations, totaling around 100,000 mu (about 6,700 hectares).
Government relief and company support have spurred a swift recovery, with farmers once again hauling freshly picked jasmine blossoms into Hengzhou's Shijing trading market.
The current harvest is the first post-disaster flush from the less-damaged fields. Though yields are lower, having flowers to sell cheered local farmers up.
"My home was flooded for around four or five days. The government helped, and the whole jasmine chain has been rebuilt by now," said farmer Li Yeji.
As the jasmine market entered its peak procurement window, tight supply drove prices to 82 yuan (about 12 U.S. dollars) per kilogram, which is twice the usual rate.
"If growers see plenty of tea companies still buying, it gives them a real boost," said Chen Hongfei, marketing director at a local agritech firm.
"We can get through this. At these prices, we are definitely happy," local farmer Zhou Ailian went straight forward.
From the business side, tea merchant Lin Yongjian, who has worked in Hengzhou for years, saw his daily flower intake plunge to 30 percent of normal levels. He has juggled production schedules to fulfill orders while paying more to reassure growers.
"We raised prices early on to restore growers' confidence, and handed out free medicine and fertilizer to affected farmers. We are doing everything to help them recover and improve flower quality," he said.
With more farmers back in the fields, the daily trading volume at the Hengzhou jasmine market has climbed to roughly 400,000 kilograms.
"The new-style tea beverage industry currently has a large jasmine demand. As the weather improves and temperatures rise, we are fully confident about the jasmine production ahead," said Luo Yuzhen, head of the local flower tea association.
Typhoon‑hit jasmine industry in Guangxi rebounds as farmers return to fields
