First Person: Japanese town leads the way to a low waste society
UNIC Tokyo/Ichiro Mae Citizens recycling in Osaki, Japan Ms. Fujita moved to Osaki in 2021 to work with the municipality, business sector and local community to help prepare the town for a more sustainable future. Today, Osaki, with a population…
Latin America, Caribbean Set for Record Dengue Season
WASHINGTON — Latin America and the Caribbean should prepare for their worst dengue season ever, as global warming and the El Niño climate phenomenon fuel the mosquito-borne epidemic, a U.N. health agency warned Thursday. In less than three months in…
Blinken Heading to Paris, Brussels to Seek Unity on Ukraine, Gaza Wars
Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to go to France and Belgium next week to try to build unity among allies in support of Ukraine in its war against Russia and of Israel in its war against Hamas. Analysts say…
China to Drive World Economic Recovery, Says a Top Communist Official
Brushing off domestic economic headwinds, a top Communist Party official said Thursday that China aims to drive the world’s recovery this year by pushing forward reforms and making tech innovation a new point of growth. The remarks from Zhao Leji,…
Russia: Rights experts condemn continued imprisonment of Evan Gershkovich
The 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested last March in Yekatarinburg on espionage charges and is being held at the infamous Lefortovo prison in Moscow. Mariana Katzarova, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian…
New $1.4 billion plan to support South Sudanese refugees
Since the start of the conflict in South Sudan over 10 years ago, growing humanitarian needs compounded by dire food shortages, continued insecurity, and the impacts of climate change, have kept refugees in exile and prompted new displacement. Four consecutive…
Health system ‘barely surviving’ as OCHA calls for Gaza aid restrictions to end
In a social media post, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that only 10 out of 36 hospitals are now partially functioning in the enclave. Al-Amal Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis closed on Tuesday, Tedros noted, after media reports…
Bold action needed now to address ‘cataclysmic’ situation in Haiti
Corruption, impunity and poor governance, compounded by increasing levels of gang violence, have eroded the rule of law in the Caribbean country and brought state institutions close to collapse. The impact of generalised insecurity on the population is dire and…
China Lifts Heavy Tariffs on Australian Wine as Ties Improve
China on Thursday said it will lift tariffs placed on Australian wine over three years ago, in a sign of improving ties between the two countries. China’s Ministry of Commerce said the decision will take effect Friday. China imposed tariffs…
Zelenskyy Says He Urged House Speaker Johnson to Hold Ukraine Aid Vote
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with the U.S. speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, and encouraged him to hold a vote approving more U.S. military aid for Ukraine. “Quick passage of US aid to Ukraine by…