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☆ UNICEF says weather-related disasters have displaced millions of children
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jose Cabezas Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Oct 6 (Reuters) - UNICEF on Friday said floods, storms, and other weather-related disasters have driven millions of children from their homes, with the situation set to deteriorate if action is not taken. UNICEF recorded the most weather-related child displacements in the East Asia and Pacific region due to the combination of hazards there, followed by South Asia. Extreme weather events have become more common in recent years due to climate change. Floods and storms accounted for 95% of the child displacements, said UNICEF, during the six-year period, according to its report, "Children Displaced in a Changing Climate". The report projects that nearly 96 million children will be displaced due to river floods alone over the next three decades, an average of almost 3.2 million children every year.

Persons: Jose Cabezas, Catherine Russell, Verena Knaus, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: Hurricanes Eta, Iota, REUTERS, Rights, UNICEF, Thomson Locations: Villanueva , Honduras, East Asia, Pacific, South Asia, China, Philippines

A nurse fills a syringe with malaria vaccine before administering it to an infant at the Lumumba Sub-County hospital in Kisumu, Kenya, July 1, 2022. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Monday the use of a second malaria vaccine to curb the life-threatening disease spread to humans by some mosquitoes. recommended the broad use of the world's first malaria vaccine called RTS,S," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a briefing in Geneva. "Today, it gives me great pleasure to announce that WHO is recommending a second vaccine called R21/Matrix-M to prevent malaria in children at risk of the disease." "GSK has always recognised the need for a second malaria vaccine, but it is increasingly evident that RTS,S, the first ever malaria vaccine and the first ever vaccine against a human parasite, set a strong benchmark," GSK said in a statement.

Persons: Baz Ratner, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Tedros, Poonawalla, Takeda, Hanna Nohynek, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Leroy Leo, Gareth Jones, Mark Potter Organizations: Lumumba, REUTERS, Rights, World Health Organization, WHO, Britain's University of Oxford, UNICEF, Serum Institute of India, Reuters, GSK plc, United Nations, GSK, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Thomson Locations: Kisumu, Kenya, Geneva, Ghana, Malawi, Bengaluru

☆ UN body questions French move to bar its athletes from wearing hijab at Paris 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Rugby Union - Rugby World Cup Tournament Opening Press Conference - Roland Garros, Paris, France - September 4, 2023 Minister for Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games of France, Amelie Oudea-Castera during the press conference REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Sept 27 (Reuters) - A United Nations body has criticized France's ban on its athletes wearing the hijab at next year's summer Olympics. Asked about the decision to ban French athletes from wearing the hijab at the Paris event, a spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office said: "no one should impose on a woman what she needs to wear, or not wear." The comments come days after French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said French athletes would be barred from wearing a hijab during the Paris Games to respect principles of secularism. Paris will host the Summer Olympics from July 26 to Aug. 11 next year. Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Roland Garros, Amelie Oudea, Sarah Meyssonnier, Marta Hurtado, Amélie Oudéa, Castéra, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Mark Potter Organizations: Rugby Union, Rugby, Sport, Olympic, Paralympic Games of France, Rights, United Nations, French Sports, Paris Games, Thomson Locations: Paris, France

☆ Son of jailed tycoon Jimmy Lai says it's in Hong Kong's interest to free him
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sebastien Lai, son of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, holds a sign calling for the release of his father on the sidelines of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, September 27, 2023. Sebastien Lai, who was in Geneva to take part in a British-organised event on media freedom in Hong Kong, has not seen his 75-year-old father in three years. This week he marked his 1,000th day in a Hong Kong prison on charges related to a law on national security that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020 after months of anti-government protests. He fears," Sebastien Lai said. Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Geneva; Additional reporting by Farah Master in Hong Kong; Editing by Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sebastien Lai, Jimmy Lai, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, he's, Xi Jinping, Rebecca Vincent, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farah Master, Andrea Ricci Organizations: United Nations Human Rights, REUTERS, Rights, Apple Daily, China's Communist Party, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hong, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, Geneva, Switzerland, British, Beijing, United Kingdom, United States, China

☆ Russian doping in focus as Valieva case heads to court
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Valieva was 15 when she became the first woman to complete a quadruple jump at the Olympics in the team event. The Russian anti-doping agency (RUSADA) disciplinary commission found that Valieva had committed a violation for which she bore "no fault or negligence." This effectively would deny ROC their team event gold medal. Vincent Zhou, one of the U.S. skaters, said in a statement on Monday that the global anti-doping system was "failing athletes." "Transparency would build confidence in a global anti-doping system that has lost the trust of its most important stakeholders: athletes."

Persons: Kamila, Valieva, haven't, Travis Tygart, what's, RUSADA, WADA, James Fitzgerald, Vincent Zhou, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Steve Keating, Ken Ferris Organizations: Sport, Russian Olympic Committee, Russian, Doping Agency, Reuters, Olympic Committee, International Skating Union, ISU, U.S, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Switzerland, U.S, Russian, Lausanne, Beijing, Geneva, Toronto

MARTIGNY, Switzerland, Sept 26 (Reuters) - St. Bernard dogs, one of Switzerland's national symbols that were internationally renowned for helping in alpine rescues, are now saving people in other ways. "The dogs work in hospitals, in nursing homes with senior citizens. They are descendants of Barry I, a St. Bernard credited with saving the lives of more than 40 people on the Great St. Bernard Pass in the early 19th century. "They have a great sense of smell," said Anne Hölzer, in charge of training at Barry Foundation. "It's a very strong symbol of Switzerland," Zollinger said.

Persons: Bernard dogs, Bernard, Andrea Zollinger, Zollinger, Roxy van de Burggravehoeve, Barry, Denis Balibouse, Barry Foundation's, Roxy, Barry I, Napoleon, Anne Hölzer, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Barry Foundation, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Switzerland, Swiss, Martigny, Italy, France, Bernard

☆ UN Expert Urges US Not to Supply Ukraine With Cluster Munitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - A United Nations expert has urged the United States to reconsider its decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, saying these could harm civilians even decades after the end of the conflict there, a letter published on Wednesday showed. In her letter to the U.S. government, Alice Jill Edwards, a U.N. Special Rapporteur, said that cluster munitions "indiscriminately and seriously injure civilians both at the time of use and in post-conflict" and should not be used. Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries. Russia, Ukraine and the United States have not signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans production, stockpiling, use and transfer of the weapons. "With cluster munitions, this is an enduring threat as they often fail to explode as intended on impact and can remain dangerous for decades."

Persons: Alice Jill Edwards, Edwards, Biden, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: United, ., Cluster Munitions Locations: GENEVA, United Nations, United States, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Countries should mull slavery reparations despite complex legal claims - UN
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The report stressed, however, that the difficulty in making a legal claim to compensation "cannot be the basis for nullifying the existence of underlying legal obligations". The notion of paying reparations or making other amends for slavery has a long history but the movement has recently gained momentum worldwide amid growing demands from African and Caribbean countries. The EU said in July that Europe's slave-trading past inflicted "untold suffering" on millions of people and hinted at the need for reparations for what it described as a "crime against humanity". The report concluded that states should consider a "plurality of measures" to address the legacies of enslavement and colonialism, including pursuing justice and reparations, and contributing to reconciliation. Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Duke, Duchess, Gilbert Bellamy, Antonio Guterres, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Richard Chang Organizations: Protesters, British High Commission, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, UN, EU, Thomson Locations: United Kingdom, Jamaica, Cambridge, Caribbean, Kingston , Jamaica, Africa

☆ UN experts say war crimes committed in Ethiopia despite formal end to conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

GENEVA, Sept 18 (Reuters) - War crimes and crimes against humanity are still being committed in Ethiopia nearly a year after government and regional forces from Tigray agreed to end fighting, U.N. experts said in a report published on Monday. Thousands died in the two-year conflict, which formally came to an end in November last year. "I must admit the worst of this was that perpetrated by Eritrean forces in Tigray. Though, of course, Ethiopian forces were also responsible," she said, adding that Tigrayan forces had also perpetrated sexual violence in Amhara. Authorities from the Ethiopian region of Amhara have also denied that their forces committed atrocities in neighbouring Tigray.

Persons: Thousands, Mohamed Chande Othman, Yemane Ghebremeskel, spokespeople, Radhika Coomaraswamy, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Andrew Heavens, William Maclean Organizations: International Commission of Human, Eritrean Defence Forces, EDF, Ethiopian, Reuters, Eritrean, Ethiopian National Defence Forces, Hereward, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Ethiopia, Tigray, Eritrea, Amhara, Ethiopian, Geneva, Hereward Holland, Nairobi

☆ UN Refugee Agency: Wave of Migrants Must Be Moved off Island of Lampedusa
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations refugee agency on Friday said it was imperative that the thousands of migrants who have arrived in recent days on the Italian island of Lampedusa be relocated because of its limited resources. Around 7,000 migrants arrived on the shore of the small island in a two-day period, prompting pleas for help from Italy. Authorities have organised some transfers to the larger island of Sicily to ease the situation, something the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expects will continue in the coming days. "It's imperative to move people off the island because the resources there, the capacity is so limited," said UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh. It is hard to identify a single factor behind this recent spike in migrant arrivals on Lampedusa, Saltmarsh said.

Persons: Matthew Saltmarsh, Saltmarsh, Cécile Mantovani, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kevin Liffey Organizations: United Nations, Authorities, Refugees, UNHCR, European Union Locations: GENEVA, Lampedusa, Italy, Sicily, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Malta

☆ UN refugee agency: wave of migrants must be moved off island of Lampedusa
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Migrants wait at the port to be transferred to the mainland, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Sept 15 (Reuters) - The United Nations refugee agency on Friday said it was imperative that the thousands of migrants who have arrived in recent days on the Italian island of Lampedusa be relocated because of its limited resources. Around 7,000 migrants arrived on the shore of the small island in a two-day period, prompting pleas for help from Italy. "It's imperative to move people off the island because the resources there, the capacity is so limited," said UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh. It is hard to identify a single factor behind this recent spike in migrant arrivals on Lampedusa, Saltmarsh said.

Persons: Yara, Matthew Saltmarsh, Saltmarsh, Cécile Mantovani, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, Authorities, Refugees, UNHCR, European Union, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Sicily, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Malta

[1/5] People walk amidst the wreckage, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 15, 2023. "Bodies are littering the streets, washing back on shore and are buried under collapsed buildings and debris. Mohammad al-Qabisi, head of Derna's Wahda Hospital, said a field hospital was treating people with chronic illnesses needing regular attention. Thursday's U.N. report said more than 1,000 bodies in Derna and over 100 bodies in Al Bayda, another coastal city which was hit by flooding, had been buried in mass graves. The ICRC sent a cargo flight to Benghazi, eastern Libya's largest city, on Friday with 5,000 body bags.

Persons: Omran, DERNA, Bilal Sablouh, Ibrahim al, Mohammad al, Nouri Mohamed, Derna's, Kazunobu Kojima, Derna, Thursday's U.N, Al Bayda, I've, Ahmed Bayram, Saad Rajab Mohamed al, Martin Griffiths, Ahmed Elumami, Ayman al, Laila Bassam, Emma Farge, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, Nayera Abdallah, Mark Heinrich, William Maclean, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, WHO, World Health Organization, Reuters, Derna's, Organization for, International Committee, Cross, International Federation of, Red Crescent Societies, ICRC, Norwegian Refugee Council, Danish Refugee, Thomson Locations: Derna, Libya, U.N, GENEVA, Libyan, Africa, Geneva, Libya's Tripoli, Libya's, WHO's, Al, Benghazi, Susah, Beirut

☆ US-Mexico Border Is World's Deadliest Land Migration Route, IOM Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.S.-Mexico border is the world's deadliest land migration route, according to U.N. migration agency figures published on Tuesday, with hundreds losing their lives attempting to make perilous desert crossings. Paul Dillon, spokesperson for IOM, said that the figures recorded "represent the lowest estimates available." IOM said that nearly half of the deaths recorded last year were linked to the crossing of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. Most of the victims on Caribbean migration routes were people from the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba. The Darien Gap, a jungle border crossing between Panama and Colombia, saw 141 documented migrant deaths last year, according to IOM.

Persons: Paul Dillon, Dillon, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, William Maclean Organizations: Organization for Migration, IOM Locations: GENEVA, U.S, Mexico, Texas, Geneva, Americas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Darien, Panama, Colombia

"We can confirm from our independent sources of information that the number of missing people is hitting 10,000 so far," he told reporters via video link. 'NEVER FELT AS FRIGHTENED'[1/6]People are stuck on a road as a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hit Shahhat city, Libya, September 11. At Tripoli airport in northwest Libya, a woman started to wail loudly as she received a call saying most of her family were dead or missing. "If a huge flood happens the result will be catastrophic for the people of the wadi and the city," the paper said. Pope Francis was among world leaders who said they were deeply saddened by the deaths and destruction in Libya.

Persons: Daniel, Storm Daniel, Abu Chkiouat, Derna, Al Jazeera, Tamer Ramadan, Martin Griffiths, Ali Al, Saadi, Mostafa Salem, Salem, wail, Walid Abdulati, Karim al, Al, Khalifah, hydrologist, Omar Al, Mukhtar, Pope Francis, Tarek Amara, Ayman Werfali, Ahmed Elumami, Al Bayda, Laila Bassam, Friedrieke Heine, Angus McDowall, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Clauda Tanios, Jana Choukeir, Gavin Jones, Emma Farge, Tom Perry, Ingrid Melander, Alison Williams, Peter Graff, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: UN, Storm, Reuters, International Federation of, Red Crescent Societies, United, REUTERS, Libyan, Mukhtar University, Norway's Refugee, Thomson Locations: Libya's, Libya, Derna, Benghazi, United Nations, Turkey, Tripoli, Al Jazeera, NATO, Misrata, Norway's, Tunisia, Al

☆ Libya floods wipe out quarter of city, 10,000 feared missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Ayman Werfali | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NEAR DERNA, Libya, Sept 12 (Reuters) - At least 10,000 people were feared missing in Libya on Tuesday in floods caused by a huge storm, which burst dams, swept away buildings and wiped out as much as a quarter of the eastern city of Derna. "The number of bodies recovered in Derna is more 1,000," he said. "I am not exaggerating when I say that 25% of the city has disappeared. [1/5]People are stuck on a road as a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hit Shahhat city, Libya, September 11, 2023. Libya is politically divided between east and west and public services have crumbled since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that prompted years of conflict.

Persons: Storm Daniel, Abu Chkiouat, Al Jazeera, Ramadan, Ali Al, Saadi, Tarek Amara, Ayman Werfali, Friedrieke Heine, Angus McDowall, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Clauda, Tom Perry, Ingrid Melander, Alison Williams, Peter Graff Organizations: Reuters, International Federation of, Red Crescent Societies, Facebook, Libyan, Thomson Locations: DERNA, Libya, Derna, Geneva, Tunisia, Derna's, NATO, Tripoli, Misrata, United States

☆ US-Mexico border is world's deadliest land migration route, IOM finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A gap in the U.S.-Mexico border fence near Sasabe, Arizona, U.S., May 10, 2022. REUTERS/Rebecca Noble/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The U.S.-Mexico border is the world's deadliest land migration route, according to U.N. migration agency figures published on Tuesday, with hundreds losing their lives attempting to make perilous desert crossings. Paul Dillon, spokesperson for IOM, said that the figures recorded "represent the lowest estimates available." IOM said that nearly half of the deaths recorded last year were linked to the crossing of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. The Darien Gap, a jungle border crossing between Panama and Colombia, saw 141 documented migrant deaths last year, according to IOM.

Persons: Rebecca Noble, Paul Dillon, Dillon, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Organization for Migration, IOM, Thomson Locations: U.S, Mexico, Sasabe , Arizona, Texas, Geneva, Americas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Darien, Panama, Colombia

☆ Pacific island sea levels rising faster than global average, WMO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The morning's first rays of sunlight hit the island community of Serua Village, Fiji, July 15, 2022. As the community runs out of ways to adapt to the rising Pacific Ocean, the 80 villagers face the painful decision whether to move. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies World Meteorological Organization FollowGENEVA, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Sea levels in the South-West Pacific are rising faster than the global average, threatening low-lying islands while heat damages marine ecosystems, the U.N. meteorological agency said on Friday. In its State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2022 report, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said water levels were rising about 4 mm per year in some areas, slightly above the global mean rate. "This will have a big impact on the South-West Pacific region as it is frequently associated with higher temperatures, disruptive weather patterns and more marine heatwaves and coral bleaching," Taalas said in a statement.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Petteri Taalas, El, Taalas, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: REUTERS, World, GENEVA, South -, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, -, Thomson Locations: Serua Village, Fiji, South, South - West, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Australia, Papua New Guinea, - West Pacific, Philippines

☆ Ukraine reports new attack on grain silos but cargo ship sets sail
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Hong Kong-flagged container ship Joseph Schulte leaves the sea port, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine, in this handout picture released August 16, 2023. Russia has made regular air strikes on Ukrainian ports and grain silos since mid-July, when it pulled out of the U.N.-backed deal for Ukraine to export grain. Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), which owns the ship jointly with a Chinese bank, confirmed that the ship was en route to Istanbul. Kubrakov said it was carrying more than 30,000 metric tons of cargo in 2,114 containers, adding that the corridor would primarily be used to evacuate ships from the Black Sea ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi. DANUBE PORTSUkraine turned to its Danube river ports after Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal seeking better terms for exports of its own food and fertilizer.

Persons: Joseph Schulte, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, Kubrakov, Urozhaine, Hanna Maliar, Izmail, Lidia Kelly, Gus Trompiz, Matthias Inverardi, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS Acquire, Benchmark, United Nations, Reuters, United Nations Conference, Trade, Development, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, Ukraine, Odesa, Russia, KYIV, Russian, Hong, Kong, Reni, Moscow, Big, Istanbul, Chornomorsk, Pivdennyi, Ukrainian, Urozhaine, Azov, Constanta, Romania, Black, Turkey, Nairobi

Analysts said it tests President Tayyip Erdogan's resolve to maintain good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has invited to Turkey this month to discuss resuming the UN-brokered deal that had protected grain exports from Ukraine. "Ankara's silence is strange but shows it is still counting on Putin to visit and return to the grain deal." It wants the West to accept some Russian demands, and for Russia to drop others, to restart Ukraine grain exports under UN and Turkish oversight. A Turkish defence ministry official, requesting anonymity, said Ankara was looking into the Black Sea raid but gave no more details. "Therefore Erdogan should negotiate and try to convince Western countries, not Putin, for the reinstatement of the grain deal," he said.

Persons: Mehmet Bey, Umit, Erdogan, Putin, NATO's, Tayyip Erdogan's, Vladimir Putin, Yoruk Isik, Grynspan, Sezer, Huseyin Hayatsever, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Coordination Centre, REUTERS, Ankara, Analysts, UN, Bosphorus Observer, United Nations Conference, Trade, Development, Thomson Locations: Yenikapi, Istanbul, Turkey, ISTANBUL, Ukraine, NATO, Moscow, Russia, Ankara, Odesa, Turkish, Palau, Russian

☆ Chinese duties on U.S. imports 'inconsistent' with WTO obligations
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A logo is seen at the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters before a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, October 5, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Aug 16 (Reuters) - A World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel on Wednesday found that China had acted inconsistently with its WTO obligations by imposing additional duties on certain U.S. imports in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium. China's Commerce Ministry said it had noted the WTO panel decision and demanded that the United States immediately lift tariffs imposed on steel and aluminium imports. The U.S. imposed a 25% duty on steel imports and a 10% duty on aluminium imports in March 2018 based on the Donald Trump administration's "Section 232" national security investigation into steel and aluminium imports. In response to the U.S. duties, China announced that additional duties of between 15% and 25% would apply to certain imports originating in the United States, a measure challenged by Washington.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Susan Heavey, Ella Cao, Rachel More, Devika Syamnath, Sharon Singleton Organizations: World Trade Organization, REUTERS, Rights, Trade Organization, U.S . Trade, WTO, Ministry, U.S, Washington, United, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, China, United States, Beijing, U.S, Washington

☆ Sudan 'spiralling out of control' as 1 million flee country, UN warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated the capital Khartoum and sparked ethnically driven attacks in Darfur, threatening to plunge Sudan into a protracted civil war and destabilise the region. "Time is running out for farmers to plant the crops that will feed them and their neighbours. The situation is spiralling out of control," U.N. agencies said in a joint statement. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsReports of sexual assaults have increased by 50%, said U.N. population fund official Laila Baker. Efforts led by Saudi Arabia and the United States to negotiate a ceasefire in the current conflict have stalled, and humanitarian agencies have struggled to provide relief because of insecurity, looting and bureaucratic hurdles.

Persons: Malik Agar, Elizabeth Throssell, Chad August, Zohra, Laila Baker, Agar, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Omar al, Bashir, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, Aidan Lewis, Alexandra Hudson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: United Nations, Rapid Support Forces, Sovereign, IOM, Human Rights, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Sudan, Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan, Geneva, Chadian, Chad, Adre, Saudi Arabia, United States, Dubai, Nafisa, Cairo

The World Health Organisation (WHO) logo is seen near its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, February 2, 2023. "Collectively, available evidence does not suggest that EG.5 has additional public health risks relative to the other currently circulating Omicron descendent lineages," the WHO said in a risk evaluation. COVID-19 has killed more than 6.9 million people globally, with more than 768 million confirmed cases since the virus emerged. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on COVID-19, said EG.5 had an increased transmissibility but was not more severe than other Omicron variants. Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus deplored that many countries were not reporting COVID-19 data to WHO.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Maria Van Kerkhove, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Van Kerkhove, Leroy Leo, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Toby Chopra, Angus MacSwan Organizations: World Health Organisation, REUTERS, World Health Organization, EG, WHO, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, United States, China, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Bengaluru

☆ Two years after Olympic defection, Belarusian sprinter cleared to race for Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who left the Olympic Games in Tokyo and seeks asylum in Poland, attends a news conference in Warsaw, Poland August 5, 2021. Maciek Jazwiecki/Agencja Gazeta via REUTERS/File PhotoGENEVA, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, the Belarusian sprinter who defected at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago, has been cleared by World Athletics to compete for Poland after it waived the normal three-year waiting period for nationality changes. She defected to Poland, saying she feared for her safety if she returned to Belarus. A letter by the World Athletics Nationality Review Panel seen by Reuters on Monday said that Tsimanouskaya could represent Poland starting Aug. 6, 2023. World Athletics referred questions to the Polish Athletic Association (PZLA), saying it was a confidential application process.

Persons: Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Maciek, Tsimanouskaya, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Olympic, Gazeta, REUTERS, Tokyo Olympics, World Athletics, Olympics, Reuters, Olympic Games, Polish Athletic Association, Paris Games, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Poland, Warsaw, Belarusian, Belarus, BLR, Budapest, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Switzerland finds remains of climber who disappeared on glacier in 1986
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The grisly discovery was made on July 12 by climbers hiking along the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt, police in the Valais canton said on Thursday. "DNA analysis enabled the identification of a mountain climber who had been missing since 1986," the police said in a statement. "In September 1986, a German climber, who was 38 at the time, had been reported missing after not returning from a hike." The climber's remains underwent a forensic analysis at Valais Hospital, allowing experts to link them to the 1986 disappearance, the police said. Last year Switzerland's glaciers registered their worst melt rate since records began more than a century ago, losing 6% of their remaining volume -- nearly double the previous record in 2003.

Persons: Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Valais Hospital, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Zermatt, Valais, German

☆ Effects of climate change increasing in Asia, WMO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view shows submerged building amid flood water, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Talti town in Sehwan, Pakistan September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File PhotoGENEVA, July 27 (Reuters) - Extreme weather events ranging from droughts to large-scale floods and other effects of climate change are on the rise in Asia and bound to affect food security and the continent's ecosystems, the World Meteorological Organization said. In a report published on Thursday, WMO said Asia was the world's most disaster-impacted region, with 81 weather, climate and water-related disasters recorded last year, the majority of which were floods and storms. The WMO report also highlighted that most glaciers the High-Mountain Asia region had loss significant mass as a result of warm and dry conditions in 2022. "This will have major implications for future food and water security and ecosystems," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Petteri Taalas, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, Thomson Locations: Talti, Sehwan, Pakistan, GENEVA, Asia, China

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