DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Putin gave Kim Jong Un a luxury Russian car, deepening their war bromance and ignoring sanctions to do it
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin gifted Kim Jong Un a luxury Russian car, defying UN sanctions. AdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin gifted North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un a luxury Russian car, openly defying UN sanctions and strengthening the two leaders' close bond. "North Korea is our neighbor, our close neighbor, and we intend, and will continue, to develop our relations with all neighbors, including North Korea." AdvertisementWPK officials, including Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, accepted the car on his behalf on Sunday, state news outlet KCNA reported. This wouldn't be the first time Kim Jong Un has gotten around the sanctions.

Persons: Putin, Kim Jong, —, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Kim, Mikhail Svetlov, Peskov, Kim Yo Jong, Kamala Harris Organizations: Service, North, Reuters, Russia's Vostochny, Royce, Maybach, Lexus, Ukraine, Norway's Intelligence Service, US Army, Africa Command, NATO, Munich Locations: North Korea, Russia's, Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome, Korea, Russia, China, Belarus, Iran, Europe, Ukraine, Africa, Germany

☆ UN Urges Measures to Stop Arms Trafficking Fueling Haiti's Gang Wars
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Sarah Morland(Reuters) - The head of the United Nation's drugs and crime office on Thursday warned of a "vicious cycle" of arms trafficking to increasingly powerful Haitian gangs, fueling an internal conflict and worsening violence across the Caribbean. "It's more important than ever to take every measure possible to prevent illicit flows," the UNODC's executive director, Ghada Waly, told a U.N. Security Council meeting, saying arms trafficking and gang activity were feeding off each other. A recent UNODC report found that most illegal firearms seized in Haiti came from the United States, notably Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Texas and California. After the Dominican Republic shut its border with Haiti, smugglers were turning to more remote routes including clandestine airstrips, the report said. No date has been set for deployment, which Haiti requested in October 2022.

Persons: Sarah Morland, Ghada Waly, U.N, Robert Wood, Kenya's, Tirana Hassan, Hassan, Jose de la, Michelle Nichols, Leslie Adler Organizations: Reuters, Security, Taurus, Glock, Beretta, Smith, Wesson, Kenyan, Rights Watch, Tirana Locations: Haiti, United States, Florida , Arizona, Georgia, Texas, California, Caribbean, U.S, Dominican Republic, Ecuador

☆ Millennials and Gen Z are giving up on one of their core values and investing more like boomers
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Preference for environmental, social, and governance — or ESG investing plummeted in 2023 among millennials and Gen Z. The survey examined the support for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues and investing across different age groups. Investments receive an ESG rating, and ESG investors pick assets that align with their views on these subjects. AdvertisementIn the survey, preference for ESG investing among millennials and Gen Z — aged between 18 and 41 — plummeted significantly compared to the year before. Tim Paradis and Alex Nicoll of Business Insider explained in December just how controversial the topic of ESG investing has become.

Persons: Z, Gen Zers, Tom Grill, Amit Seru, Seru, David F, Tim Paradis, Alex Nicoll, ESG, Paradis, Nicoll, Sara Eisen, Eisen Organizations: Service, Stanford University, Hoover Institution, Rock Center, Corporate, Investments, Stanford Graduate School of, Stanford Graduate School of Business, United, Investment, Republican, Business, Europa Press Locations: United States

☆ 'There Is No Planet B', Belgian Climate Protest Tells COP28
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Farah SalhiBRUSSELS (Reuters) - Police said about 20,000 people protested in the Belgian capital on Sunday to demand more action to fight global warming as delegates from some 200 countries met in Dubai for the United Nation's COP28 climate conference. Marching to the beat of drums, protesters waved banners saying "ACT NOW" - the "O" stylised to resemble the Earth on fire - and "There is no Planet B". In Dubai on Sunday, the COP summit focused on climate change's impact on fuelling sickness and disease. Host, the United Arab Emirates, and charities pledged $777 million to eradicate neglected tropical diseases expected to worsen. (Reporting by Farah Salhi, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

Persons: Farah Salhi, John, Karol De Decker, Gabriela Baczynska, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Police, United Arab Locations: Farah Salhi BRUSSELS, Belgian, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Paris

☆ 'There is no Planet B', Belgian climate protest tells COP28
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Farah Salhi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A demonstrator holds a placard, during a climate protest coinciding with COP28 being held in Dubai and ahead of the upcoming Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union, in Brussels, Belgium, December 3, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Police said about 20,000 people protested in the Belgian capital on Sunday to demand more action to fight global warming as delegates from some 200 countries met in Dubai for the United Nation's COP28 climate conference. Marching to the beat of drums, protesters waved banners saying "ACT NOW" - the "O" stylised to resemble the Earth on fire - and "There is no Planet B". In Dubai on Sunday, the COP summit focused on climate change's impact on fuelling sickness and disease. Reporting by Farah Salhi, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: COP28, Johanna Geron, John, Karol De Decker, Farah Salhi, Gabriela Baczynska, Sharon Singleton Organizations: of, European Union, REUTERS, Rights, Police, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Dubai, Brussels, Belgium, Belgian, United Arab Emirates, Paris

☆ Brazil signs on to global climate deal to triple renewable energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A spokesperson for Brazil's Foreign Ministry confirmed the country has decided to join the pact. Brazil is already a major player in renewable energy. While Brazil supports tripling renewables globally, mathematically it is not possible domestically, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. "Brazil won't be able to triple its own renewable energy because it's already very high, but Brazil is once again reinforcing its support for renewables," he said. The draft renewable energy pledge, reviewed by Reuters, commits to "the phase down of unabated coal power," including ending financing for new coal-fired power plants.

Persons: Bruno Kelly, Valerie Volcovici, Jake Spring, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Foreign, European Union, United, Reuters, United Arab Emirates ' Foreign Ministry, Renewables, Energy, Brazil's Foreign Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Thomson Locations: Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, South America's, Dubai, Brazil's, Abu Dhabi

[1/2] California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at an event for the second year of the Roybal School of Film and Television Production Magnet at the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 13, 2023. "As two of the world’s largest economies, our partnership is essential to delivering climate action for our communities and beyond," Newsom said in a statement on Wednesday. Newsom has been building up a national profile as a voice for stringent climate action, most recently gaining applause at the United Nation's Climate Ambition Summit last month for a speech railing against oil companies' climate policy obstruction. China, the world's largest methane emitter, has yet to release details of its planned methane reduction strategy despite encouragement from Kerry's team to do so. The governor also plans to tour Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory, which produces the largest number of electric vehicles in the world.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Edward R, Mario Anzuoni, Gavin Newsom's, Janet Yellen, Antony Blinken, John Kerry, Gina Raimondo, Newsom, Kerry, Valerie Volcovici, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: California, Roybal, of Film, Learning, REUTERS, Rights, United, Ambition, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, California, China, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Jiangsu

☆ African ambassador criticizes IMF, World Bank for not giving enough loans
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

John Wessels | Afp | Getty ImagesBEIJING — An ambassador of an African country to China has criticized the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank for restrictive lending policies. "The problem is that the ratings we are making for the African [countries] should be different," Ibrahima Sory Sylla, ambassador for the West African country of Senegal, said Thursday at an event at Peking University. The research claimed every 1% increase in Chinese loans resulted in an increase of 0.176% in African economic growth. Allan Joseph Chintedza, ambassador of Malawi to China, said the report should look also at the repayment period for Chinese loans. The East African country needs to provide a "sustainability letter" from the Chinese government in order to borrow more from the IMF, Chintedza added.

Persons: John Wessels, Sylla, Poor's, Senegal's Sylla, Fitch, Wu Peng, Jang Ping Thia, Thia, Vladimir Putin, Allan Joseph Chintedza, Chintedza Organizations: Afp, Getty, BEIJING —, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, West, Peking University, Fitch, IMF, Bank, United, Loans, Boston, Global, Policy Center, CNBC, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Initiative, Peking University's Institute, New Locations: Senegal's, Dakar, BEIJING, China, Senegal, West Africa, Africa, Beijing, Malawi

☆ Another quake strikes western Afghanistan; official says more homes destroyed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A general view of the quake-hit area in the district of Zinda Jan, in Herat, Afghanistan October 10, 2023. There were no details on casualties so far, disaster management spokesman Janan Sayeeq told Reuters, but provincial officials said hundreds of homes had been destroyed. Hemmed in by mountains, Afghanistan has a history of strong earthquakes, many in the rugged Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan. Herat province borders Iran, which said it would send humanitarian aid. The United Nation's humanitarian office has also announced $5 million worth of assistance.

Persons: Zinda Jan, Ali Khara, Janan Sayeeq, Noor Ahmad Shahab, Shahab, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Mrinmay Dey, Gibran Peshimam, Jacqueline Wong, Simon Cameron, Moore, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Mobile, World Health Organisation, German Research Center, Geosciences, United, Thomson Locations: Zinda, Herat, Afghanistan, Rights KABUL, Pakistan, Iran, Rubat, Turkey, China, Kabul, Bengaluru

☆ World War One cemeteries, Rwanda genocide sites, Argentine torture center declared UNESCO World Heritage
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Geert De Clercq | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

So far, the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in Japan have been the only memorial sites inscribed on the United Nation's cultural agency's closely watched World Heritage list. At a meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, UNESCO member states agreed to add the World War One and Rwanda sites to the list, after adding the Argentina torture memorial on Tuesday. The World War One sites encompass a series of military cemeteries, battlefield burial grounds and memorials between the north of Belgium and the east of France. The 139 sites trace the outline of World War One's Western Front and hold the remains of tens of thousands of soldiers of several nationalities. The World Heritage Committee's annual meeting ends on Monday.

Persons: Rima Abdul, Malak, Geert De Clercq, Leslie Adler Organizations: Navy Mechanics School, UNESCO, Memorial, United, UNESCO World Heritage, Wednesday, Twa, ESMA, Navy School of Mechanics, Thomson Locations: Argentina's, PARIS, Belgium, France, Argentina, UN, Auschwitz, Poland, Hiroshima, Japan, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, Europe, Buenos Aires, UNESCO

☆ Biden says global warming topping 1.5 degrees in the next 10 to 20 years is scarier than nuclear war
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Biden travels to Vietnam to deepen cooperation between the two nations, in the face of China's growing ambitions in the region. The global temperature rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius in the next two decades is scarier than a nuclear war, said President Joe Biden on Sunday in Vietnam. "The only existential threat humanity faces even more frightening than a nuclear war is global warming going above 1.5 degrees in the next 20 — 10 years," Biden said at a press conference at the JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi on Sunday. There's no way back from that," Biden said, according to a White House transcript of the press conference. Did you ever think you'd be sitting at a G20 conference where everyone was preoccupied with the notion of global warming?"

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, António Guterres, Guterres Organizations: JW, Change Service, United Nation's Locations: Hanoi, Vietnam, India, Angola

☆ Ten dead as clashes resume in Palestinian camp in south Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Residents carry belongings on their heads as they walk near the entrance of Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp during Palestinian faction clash, in Sidon, Lebanon September 11, 2023. The Ain el-Hilweh camp has been rocked by factional clashes since late July between the Palestinian mainstream movement Fatah and Islamist fighters. The two remaining victims were civilians, a Lebanese security source and two Palestinian sources said. One was killed on Saturday when a stray bullet from the clashes reached a town near the camp, the Lebanese security source said. Residents fear a similar scenario to the northern Palestinian camp of Naher al-Bared, where Lebanon's army waged a 15-week onslaught to dislodge Islamist groups in 2007.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Fatah, Fighting, Ain, Naher, Maya Gebeily, Mark Heinrich, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Palestinian, United, Fatah, Security, UNRWA, Thomson Locations: Ain el, Sidon, Lebanon, Rights BEIRUT, Ain, Palestine, Israel's

[1/5] Kazuyuki Tanioka, the owner of Japanese cuisine Toya restaurant, prepares a sashimi dish, during an interview with Reuters, in Beijing, China July 25, 2023. China is the biggest importer of Japanese seafood. Shortly after the 2011 tsunami and earthquake damaged the Fukushima plant, it banned the import of food and agricultural products from five Japanese prefectures. The latest import restrictions were imposed this month after the United Nation's nuclear watchdog approved Japan's plans to discharge the treated water. "Our main focus is to source seafood within China or sourcing from other foreign suppliers," Tanioka said.

Persons: Tanioka, Tingshu Wang, It's, Toya, Kenji Kobayashi, Fukuoka, Duan, restaurateurs, Martin Quin Pollard, Chris Gallagher, Tom Bateman, Mariko Katsumura, Xiaoyu Yin, Justin Fung, Miral Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, United, Aomori, Aomori Chuosuisan Co, Japan, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Toya, Beijing, China, Tingshu Wang BEIJING, Kumamoto, Japan, Aomori Chuosuisan, Hong Kong, Tokyo

☆ July is set to be the hottest month on record
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Photo: Christoph Reichwein/dpaJuly is set to be the hottest month on record. The first three weeks of July have been the hottest three-week period on record, according to a joint statement published by the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization. This month's record-breaking heat surpasses July 2019, the previous hottest month, and comes on the heels of June setting the record for the hottest June ever. Anthropogenic emissions are ultimately the main driver of these rising temperatures," Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said in a statement published alongside the announcement. This month has included heat waves that have baked much of North America, Asia and Europe, and wildfires that are ravaging Canada and Greece, Copernicus and the WMO said.

Persons: Christoph Reichwein, Copernicus, It's, Carlo Buontempo, El, Taalas Organizations: World Meteorological Organization, United, El, WMO, El Nino Locations: Greece, Gennadi, Rhodes, Corfu, North America, Asia, Europe, Canada

The change drew the ire of several P&G investors. Its new forestry policy could put it at odds with a European Union deforestation law coming into effect in about 18 months banning certain goods linked to deforestation and forest degradation. "Our ongoing efforts to keep forests as forests while continuing to serve consumers with superior-performing products, all of those efforts remain unchanged." In its new forestry policy, P&G, which also makes Tide detergent and Dawn dish soap, consolidates existing guidelines for paper packaging and palm oil, used throughout its portfolio of products. The NRDC late last year filed a complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to evaluate if P&G's claims that it prohibits forest degradation were materially misleading investors.

Persons: Leslie Samuelrich, Jack McAneny, McAneny, Elrod, Gaurav Madan, Madan, Shelley Vinyard, Vinyard, Peter van der, Jessica DiNapoli, Aurora Ellis Organizations: YORK, Procter, Gamble, Green, Funds, Reuters, Commodities, United, Food, Agriculture Organization, BNP, Asset Management, Natural Resources Defense, BlackRock, Street, UBS, Legal, General, Natural Resources Defense Council, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Thomson Locations: Cincinnati, Latin America, Europe, Canada, U.S, Robeco, New York

☆ Taliban halt Swedish activities in Afghanistan after Koran burning
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL, July 11 (Reuters) - The Taliban administration said on Tuesday all activities by Sweden in Afghanistan must stop after the burning of the Koran outside a mosque in the Swedish capital last month. The order was likely to affect the Swedish non-governmental organisation, the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, which has thousands of aid workers at work throughout the country in health, education and rural development. An Iraqi immigrant to Sweden burned the Koran outside a Stockholm mosque last month, causing outrage in the Muslim world. The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Taliban order. The Taliban administration did not provide details on which organisations would be affected.

Persons: Zabiullah Mujahid, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte Greenfield, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Swedish Committee, United, Thomson Locations: KABUL, Sweden, Afghanistan, Swedish, Emirate, Iraqi, Stockholm

REUTERS/Kim... Read moreLONDON/WASHINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - When it comes to taking stock of global emissions, there's an elephant in the room: the world's armed forces. NATO, the 31-country Western security alliance, for example, told Reuters it has created a methodology for its members to report their military emissions. And Washington sent U.S. Army and Navy representatives to the COP27 climate summit in Egypt last year, the first time a Pentagon delegation has attended the global climate summit. Ukraine's environment ministry spokesperson said it supports the efforts and would seek backing from governments at COP28 for more transparent military emissions reporting. In the meantime, global military emissions will remain poorly understood, said Stuart Parkinson, executive director of the group Scientists for Global Responsibility.

Persons: Kim, Queen Mary, Axel Michaelowa, Meredith Berger, Neta Crawford, Deborah Burton, Lennard, Klerk, James Appathurai, Markus Ruelke, Stuart Parkinson, Sarah McFarlane, Valerie Volcovici, Sabine Siebold, Richard Valdmanis, David Clarke Organizations: REUTERS, Observatory, United Arab Emirates, UNFCCC, COP28, NATO, Reuters, Washington, U.S . Army, Pentagon, U.S . Navy, The, U.S . Defence Logistics Agency, U.S . Department of Defense, Oxford University, Oxford, Queen Mary University of London, Scientists, Global, Thomson Locations: South Korea, U.S, Pocheon, WASHINGTON, Kyoto, Paris, Lancaster, Oxford, Dubai, UAE, Zealand, Britain, Germany, Egypt, The U.S, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Singapore, Switzerland, Syria, COP28, Berlin

☆ Commonwealth Fusion has raised $2 billion to make energy like the sun and stars — here's a look inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Bob Mumgaard, the CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems Photo courtesy Commonwealth Fusion SystemsYou don't need to be a nuclear physicist to follow this race. The Commonwealth Fusion Systems campus in headquartered in Devens, Mass., which is between 35 and 40 miles outside of downtown Boston. The 50-acre campus is where Commonwealth Fusion System's corporate headquarters, advanced manufacturing facility and demonstration fusion device are all located. What it looks like to spend $2 billion to build a fusion machineIn the race to deliver fusion, Commonwealth is a frontrunner. The Commonwealth Fusion Systems' SPARC facility under construction in Devens, Mass.

Persons: Cat Clifford, Mumgaard, Wright, Bob Mumgaard, We've, haven't, Andrew Holland, Brandon Sorbom, Sorbom, Ally Yost, Yost, Alex Creely Organizations: Commonwealth Fusion Systems, CNBC, Commonwealth Fusion, United, Commonwealth, Fusion Industry Association, SPARC, ARC, Boeing Locations: Devens , Mass, Boston, Germany, Fukushima, Commonwealth

☆ Elon Musk called downtown San Francisco — where Twitter is headquartered — a 'derelict zombie apocalypse' amid its huge homelessness and drug issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk commented on the drugs and homelessness crisis in San Francisco calling it a "disaster." The billionaire CEO said the "once beautiful and thriving" area has become a "zombie apocalypse." Twitter CEO Elon Musk tweeted his thoughts about downtown San Francisco lamenting the decline of the "once beautiful and thriving" area and called it a "disaster." San Francisco is also a major tech hub with the likes of Google, Twitter, Apple, and Meta headquartered in or near the city. She considered the conditions in San Francisco as bad as in cities like Mumbai and Delhi, which are notorious for having some of the worst poverty crises on earth.

☆ Chinese people say they don't care that India is taking over as the world's most populous country: 'No one even wants 1st place'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

India's population is set to hit 1.428 billion, while China's drops to 1.425 billion, per the UN. "No one even wants first place for this," one user wrote on the social media platform. India's population boom also marks a shift in China's long-held identity of bursting growth — China has been the world's most populous country for decades. But people on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, say the title is inconsequential, and some are even happy to see it go. "No one even wants first place for this," one user wrote in a top comment as news broke of the UN estimates last week.

☆ After twin cyclones leave thousands homeless, Vanuatu takes climate plea to world stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Pacific island nation's Minister of Climate Change, Ralph Regenvanu, said 119 governments have co-sponsored Vanuatu's resolution, which seeks legal clarity on the obligation of states to take climate change action, and draws attention to the vulnerability of small islands states hit by worsening storms and rising seas. Vanuatu hopes more nations will sign-on before the general assembly debate begins on Wednesday, and it will be passed by consensus, he said. More than 3,000 people are still in evacuation centres three weeks after two category-four cyclones hit Vanuatu, which has a population of 319,000 spread across 80 islands. Vanuatu took up the challenge to seek a legal opinion from the United Nation's top court after a group of Pacific islands university students in 2019 petitioned governments with the idea. Cynthia Houniuhi, President of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, said it was the most ambitious action they could think of.

☆ Afghan broadcaster airs rare all-female panel to discuss rights on Women's Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KABUL, March 8 (Reuters) - Afghan broadcaster Tolo News on Wednesday aired an all-female panel in its studio with an audience of women to mark International Women's Day, a rare broadcast since the Taliban took over and many female journalists left the profession or started working off-air. A survey by Reporters Without Borders last year found that more than 75% of female journalists had lost their jobs since the Taliban took over as foreign forces withdrew in August 2021. The Taliban last year restricted most girls from high school, women from university and stopped most Afghan female NGO workers. Another panellist, former university professor Zakira Nabil said women would continue to find ways to learn and work. The United Nation's Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Wednesday called on the Taliban to reverse restrictions on the rights of girls and women, calling them "distressing."

☆ U.N. food-agency chief tells of 'apocalyptic' scenes in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Feb 25 (Reuters) - The head of the United Nation's World Food Programme (WFP) said on Saturday he was confronted with "apocalyptic" scenes as he visited earthquake-stricken areas in southern Turkey. Strong earthquakes, which began on Feb. 6, have struck both Turkey and neighbouring Syria, killing more than 50,000 people according to the latest figures released on Friday. "There is only one way to describe what I saw today: apocalyptic," WFP Executive Director David Beasley said after visiting the city of Antakya in Turkey's Hatay province. The WFP said Beasley visited a U.N. logistics hub where trucks are loaded with food and other emergency supplies before crossing over into northwest Syria. He stressed the urgency of scaling up food deliveries to Syria "through all routes - without any restrictions", and called for "all parties to facilitate access".

☆ Taliban administration to send earthquake aid to Turkey, Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People look on as the search for survivors continues in the aftermath of an earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, February 8, 2023. REUTERS/Suhaib SalemKABUL, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban administration will send around $165,000 in aid to Turkey and Syria to help the response to a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck this week, according to a foreign ministry statement. The Taliban took over in 2021 as foreign forces withdrew, sparking enforcement of sanctions on its banking sector, and no capital has formally recognised its government. Many aid groups have partially suspended operations due to a Taliban administration ruling that most female NGO workers could not work, leaving agencies unable to operate many programmes in the conservative country. Western diplomats have said they will not consider formally recognising the administration unless it changes course on women's rights.

☆ Davos 2023: Greta Thunberg accuses energy firms of throwing people 'under the bus'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Maha El Dahan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The world's most powerful activist confronted the man in charge of regulating global energy in Davos on Thursday, demanding an end to fossil fuel investments. Greta Thunberg urged IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol to stop the global energy industry and the financiers who support them from fuelling carbon investments. "As long as they can get away with it they will continue to invest in fossil fuels, they will continue to throw people under the bus," Thunberg warned. He also said he was less pessimistic than the climate activists about the shift to clean energy. Asked why she did not want to advocate for change from the inside, Thunberg said there were already activists doing that.

Search resuls for: "United Nation's"

25 mentions found