Ukraine will need $9 billion over 10 years for its culture and tourism sectors to recover, the United Nations' cultural agency said on Tuesday, adding that the two-year war had so far cost the country over $19.6 billion in tourism revenue.
"The damage continues to increase and the needs for the sector's recovery continue to grow," Krista Pikkat, director of culture and emergencies at UNESCO, told reporters, adding that the lost revenue to the capital Kyiv alone was $10 billion.
In an assessment ahead of the war's two year anniversary, the UNESCO estimated the cost of damage to cultural property at about $3.5 billion, up 40% from 2023.
It said it had analysed damage to 340 buildings, including museums, monuments, libraries and religious sites.
"International solidarity will be essential to meeting these needs," the report said. "The implementation of risk prevention measures and the support for the creative industries are also important levers to reduce the estimated long-term impact of the war."
The US and Iran failed to reach an agreement to end their war despite marathon talks that concluded on Sunday in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, jeopardising a fragile ceasefire.
At least 30 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede at the Laferriere Citadel in the northern countryside of Haiti, authorities said, warning that the death toll could rise.
A cyclone battered New Zealand's North Island on Sunday, cutting power to thousands of residents and forcing hundreds to evacuate, as officials warned conditions would worsen through the day.
Negotiations between the United States and Iran appeared to have concluded for now, Iran's government has announced early on Sunday, after a series of talks in Pakistan to end the six-week war between Washington and Tehran.
Costa Rica on Saturday has received the first group of migrants from other countries deported from the United States under an agreement signed in March between the two countries, local authorities said.
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, has strongly condemned the terrorist plots that sought to undermine security, incite chaos, and carry out acts of sabotage in Kuwait.
Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has introduced two options to allow private Early Childhood Centres to offer home-based learning for children below the age of six when government-mandated distance-learning is in place.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has installed 726 public bus shelters across key areas to the Emirate to serve more than 192 million riders annually.