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☆ China's Lunar New Year travel offers spark of economic rebound from COVID crunch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

While many analysts say a return to economic normality will be gradual as the impact of COVID weakens, some see the Lunar New Year as a welcome early consumption boost. But even as workers move out, health experts fear a broadening and deepening of its COVID outbreak, leaving the elderly in rural villages particularly vulnerable. The WHO earlier welcomed Saturday's announcement after last week warning that China was heavily under-reporting deaths from the virus. "This is especially important during periods of surges when the health system is severely constrained," the statement said on Monday. As travellers moved through stations in Shanghai, China's largest city, some expressed optimism despite the risks.

☆ WHO recommends that China monitor excess COVID-19 mortality
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON/GENEVA, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday it recommended that China monitor excess mortality from COVID-19 to gain a fuller picture of the impact of the surge in cases there. China said on Saturday that nearly 60,000 people with COVID-19 had died in hospital since it abandoned its zero-COVID policy last month, a big jump from the figures it reported prior to facing international criticism over its COVID-19 data. "WHO recommends the monitoring of excess mortality, which provides us with a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of COVID-19," the U.N. agency told Reuters in a statement when asked about China. "This is especially important during periods of surges when the health system is severely constrained." "But it would be even more important to get full GSD (genetic sequence data) of circulating virus in China.

☆ Former Liberian rebel seeks to overturn Swiss war crimes ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Alieu Kosiah, a former rebel commander who fought against former President Charles Taylor's army in the 1990s, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2021 in Switzerland's first ever war crimes trial. The indictment has since been expanded to include crimes against humanity - the first time these charges are brought in a Swiss trial. A 2011 Swiss law allows prosecution for serious crimes committed anywhere, under the principle of universal jurisdiction. Unlike Sierra Leone which had its own civil war at the same time and later held war crimes trials, no prosecutions have taken place in Liberia. In November, a former Liberian rebel commander was sentenced to life in prison by a French court and a Finnish appeals court is hearing a Liberia war crimes case.

☆ WHO says coronavirus variant XBB.1.5 may be driving cases
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

GENEVA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that the XBB.1.5 Omicron sub-variant of COVID-19 may be spurring more cases. "Based on its genetic characteristics and early growth rate estimates, XBB.1.5 may contribute to increases incase incidence," the WHO said after a Jan. 5 technical meeting. However, it said that it had only "low confidence" in the assessment as data was mostly coming from just one country, the United States, which has provided more than 80% of sequences. Reporting by Emma FargeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Iran executions are 'state sanctioned killing' - UN rights chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Warns that more executions are imminentMeeting between Turk, Iranian authorities plannedUN-appointed body to probe Iran's crackdownGENEVA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief said that the death penalty was being weaponised by Iran's government to strike fear into the population and stamp out dissent, saying the executions amounted to "state sanctioned killing". "The weaponization of criminal procedures to punish people for exercising their basic rights – such as those participating in or organizing demonstrations - amounts to state sanctioned killing," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said, adding the executions violated international human rights law. The U.N. Human Rights office has received information that two further executions are imminent, the statement said, while up to 100 face charges for capital crimes. The Geneva-based Human Rights Council voted in November to set up a three-member independent fact-finding mission into Iran's crackdown on protests. The start of executions, which have been condemned by a growing number of countries, has coincided with a slowdown in the protests.

☆ WHO meeting to decide on COVID emergency set for Jan. 27
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - A World Health Organization committee will meet on Jan. 27 to consider whether the COVID-19 pandemic still represents a global emergency, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, three years after it was first declared. WHO spokesperson Carla Drysdale confirmed the timing of the meeting at a Geneva press briefing. The Emergency Committee advises WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who makes the ultimate call on whether an outbreak represents a so-called Public Health Emergency of International Concern which is the U.N. agency's highest level of alert. Several leading scientists and WHO advisers say it may be too early to declare the end of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency phase because of high levels of infections in China which dismantled its zero-COVID policy last month. Reporting by Emma Farge Editing by Madeline ChambersOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UN chief calls for 'massive investments' for Pakistan recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

September's floods, which are still receding, killed at least 1,700 people and displaced around 8 million. "We must match the heroic response of the people of Pakistan with our own efforts and massive investments to strengthen their communities for the future," Guterres said in opening remarks. "Pakistan is doubly victimized by climate chaos and a morally bankrupt global financial system," he added, calling for creative ways for developing countries to access debt relief and financing. In a video message, France President Emmanuel Macron pledged $10 million in additional aid support. Reporting by Emma Farge, Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Geneva and Asif Shahzad in Islamabad, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ WHO says China releases COVID hospital data after reporting gap
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization received data from China on new COVID-19 hospitalisations after a reporting gap, with figures on Thursday showing a nearly 50% increase in the week to Jan. 1. The WHO's latest report showed 22,416 new hospitalisations for mainland China in the week to Jan. 1 versus 15,161 the previous week. Over the same week, the report showed China had 218,019 new cases and 648 new deaths, although these figures typically include Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau as well as mainland China. The WHO did not release a report last week due to end of year holidays. The body is preparing to meet Chinese scientists on Thursday as part of a wider briefing among member states on the global COVID-19 situation as concerns grow about the rapid spread of the virus in the world's No.

[1/6] Skiers pass on a small layer of artificial snow amid warmer-than-usual winter temperatures in the Alps in Leysin, Switzerland, January 4, 2023. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseLEYSIN, Switzerland, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Deprived of snow by unusually mild weather, Switzerland's world-renowned ski slopes have proven a disappointment to winter sports aficionados and resort managers eager to make the most of the holiday season. Norah Sweeney, a tourist from Boston, had prepared for a snowy Swiss sojourn, but her hopes quickly melted at the sight of yellowed grass on the slopes. MeteoSwiss, the country's federal office for meteorology and climatology, said Switzerland's average temperature of around 7.4 Celsius in 2022 was by far the warmest year since records began in 1864. Sophie Ruchet, a resident of the Vaud canton who learned to ski at Leysin, wonders if it's even worth having her children learn to ski.

☆ Leading WHO advisers call for 'realistic' COVID data from China at key meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The World Health Organization logo is pictured at the entrance of the WHO building, in Geneva, Switzerland, December 20, 2021. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseLONDON, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Leading scientists advising the World Health Organization said they wanted a "more realistic picture" about the COVID-19 situation from China's top experts at a key meeting on Tuesday as worries grow about the rapid spread of the virus. The WHO has invited Chinese scientists to a virtual closed meeting with its technical advisory group on viral evolution on Tuesday, to present data on which variants are circulating in the country. Speaking to Reuters ahead of the meeting, she said some of the data from China, such as hospitalisation numbers, is "not very credible". A WHO spokesperson said that a "detailed discussion" was expected about circulating variants in China, and globally, with Chinese scientists expected to make a presentation.

☆ U.N. says Burkina Faso has no grounds to expel senior official
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

OUAGADOUGOU, Dec 24 (Reuters) - The United Nations on Saturday said Burkina Faso had no grounds for ordering senior U.N. official Barbara Manzi to leave the country and that the doctrine of "persona non grata" could not be applied to her. "Only the Secretary-General... has the authority to decide, after careful investigation, with respect to the withdrawal of any United Nations official." Reuters was not immediately able to verify whether Manzi, an Italian national, was still in Burkina Faso in Saturday. The U.N. provides some essential services in Burkina Faso, including supplying food to thousands of malnourished children as insecurity has crippled local economies, caused mass hunger, and restricted access for aid organisations. The Secretary-General reiterated the U.N.'s commitment to continue engaging with Burkina Faso's transitional authorities and support the country.

However, the WHO has said gaps in data might be due to Chinese authorities simply struggling to tally cases. Some estimates predict large numbers of deaths ahead and China has been racing to bolster its health system. Lawrence Gostin, a law professor at Georgetown University who follows the WHO closely, called the missing data "highly suspicious". "It's hard to criticise China when there's other countries that haven't reported COVID cases (at all)," he said. "I wouldn't like to say that China is actively not telling us what's going on.

☆ WTO chief rebukes countries over stalled fishing negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The head of the World Trade Organization chided countries for failing to make headway on negotiations covering fishing and agriculture because of infighting over who should lead them. Delegates told Reuters that a proposal was floated for Turkey and Norway's ambassadors to lead the agricultural and fisheries negotiations but these choices were rejected by India, delegates said. "Six months of not negotiating is not acceptable," WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told countries in a closed-door meeting of its General Council, according to remarks relayed by the body's spokesperson late on Monday. "While WTO members are not doing the job, fish stocks continue to decline at an alarming rate," said Remi Parmentier, director of the Varda Group, a think-tank focused on biodiversity. WTO spokesperson Dan Pruzin told journalists it was "never easy" to choose chairs of negotiations but said this case was proving "particularly difficult", without elaborating.

☆ Potential China wave is 'wild card' for ending COVID emergency - WHO advisors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"It's clear that we are in a very different phase [of the pandemic], but in my mind, that pending wave in China is a wild card." Last week, he told reporters in Geneva that he was "hopeful" of an end to the emergency some time next year. Tedros's earlier comments spurred hopes that the United Nations agency could soon remove the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) designation for COVID, which has been in place since January 2020. Some global health experts had expected China to wait for the WHO to lift the emergency status before easing its own pandemic response measures. WHO member states are currently working on re-designing the rules that govern global health emergencies to potentially address issues like this.

☆ WTO chief rebukes countries over stalled negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The head of the World Trade Organization on Monday chided countries for failing to make headway on negotiations because of infighting over who should lead them. The WTO broke a multi-year deal-making drought in June by clinching a series of agreements at a major trade conference in Geneva in June, including a fisheries deal. "Six months of not negotiating is not acceptable," WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told countries in a closed-door meeting of its General Council on Monday, according to remarks relayed by the body's spokesperson. Delegates told Reuters that a proposal was floated for Turkey and Norway's ambassadors to lead the agricultural and fisheries negotiations but these choices were rejected by India and Pakistan. WTO spokesperson Dan Pruzin told journalists it was "never easy" to choose chairs of negotiations but said this case was proving "particularly difficult", without elaborating.

☆ Global stockpile of cholera vaccines 'empty or extremely low' - WHO
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA, Dec 16 (Reuters) - A World Health Organization official said on Friday that the global stockpile of cholera vaccines it helps manage is "currently empty or extremely low" amid a resurgence of the disease around the world. The U.N. health agency says there are around 30 countries around the world that have reported cholera outbreaks this year which is about a third higher than a typical year. More countries are continuing to request (them) and it's extremely challenging," said Dr Philippe Barboza, Team Lead for Cholera and Epidemic Diarrhoeal Diseases, at the World Health Organization. He was referring to an emergency stockpile held by the International Coordinating Group on vaccine provision that is managed by the WHO and other partners. The shortage of vaccines has already prompted the WHO to temporarily suspend the standard two-dose vaccination strategy in October.

☆ Angelina Jolie leaves U.N. refugee agency after more than 20 years
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Actor Angelina Jolie poses as she attends the UK premiere of "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" in London, Britain October 9, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File PhotoGENEVA, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie will quit her role as a special envoy for the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) but will remain a humanitarian activist, the United Nations said on Friday. Jolie, who has been on more than 60 field assignments during her 21 years with UNHCR, said she wanted to keep working with refugees outside of the global body. "I will continue to do everything in my power in the years to come to support refugees and other displaced people," Jolie said in a statement announcing her departure. Jolie has been UNHCR special envoy since 2012.

☆ China's COVID spike not due to lifting of restrictions, WHO director says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The comments by the WHO's emergencies director Mike Ryan came as he warned of the need to ramp up vaccinations in the world's No. Speaking at a briefing with media, he said the virus was spreading "intensively" in the nation long before the lifting of restrictions. "There's a narrative at the moment that China lifted the restrictions and all of a sudden the disease is out of control," he said. "The disease was spreading intensively because I believe the control measures in themselves were not stopping the disease. Beijing started pivoting away from its signature "zero-COVID" policy this month after protests against the economically damaging curbs championed by President Xi Jinping.

☆ WHO chief says his uncle was murdered in Ethiopia's Tigray
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that Eritrean troops "murdered" his uncle in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations. The Ethiopian government and regional forces from Tigray agreed in November to cease hostilities last month in a major breakthrough. However, troops from Eritrea, to the north, and forces from the neighbouring Ethiopian region of Amhara, to the south, who fought alongside Ethiopia's military in Tigray were not party to the ceasefire. That followed the killing of his cousin last year in Tigray when a church was blown up, he said, without giving further details.

☆ China launches suit at WTO against U.S. chip export curbs - Global Times
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 13 (Reuters) - China on Monday launched a suit at the World Trade Organization over against the United States over its chip export control measures, the state-backed Global Times said in a tweet on Tuesday, citing China's commerce ministry. The Chinese mission to the WTO in Geneva and the U.S. Trade Representative did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. The United States has blocked appointments to the WTO's top ruling body on trade disputes, meaning some rows never get settled. The alleged complaint by China on U.S. chip export curbs comes days after a WTO ruling against Washington in a separate suit about metal tariffs that had been brought by China among others. The United States, a regular critic of the WTO's arbitration proceedings, rejected the WTO's findings.

☆ Iran's Raisi promises to pursue crackdown on protesters; cleric critical of execution
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Molavi Abdolhamid, a Sunni cleric in the Shi'ite-ruled Islamic Republic, criticized the death sentence, according to his website. Human rights groups said Shekari was tortured and forced to confess. In Geneva, U.N. Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Turk called the execution “very troubling and clearly designed to send a chilling effect to the rest of the protesters." Britain announced sanctions on Friday against 30 people worldwide, including officials from Russia, Iran and Myanmar it deems responsible for human rights abuses or corruption. Molavi Abdolhamid made his critical comments from Zahedan, the capital of restive Sistan-Baluchistan province, home to Iran's Baluch minority who have faced discrimination and repression for decades, according to human rights groups.

In one of the most high-profile and potentially explosive cases to come to the WTO, the three-person adjudicating panel said the U.S. measures were inconsistent with WTO rules and recommended the United States bring them into conformity. The United States said it strongly rejected the "flawed" interpretation and conclusions of the panel. Trump imposed 25% tariffs on steel imports and 10% on aluminium in 2018, using Section 232 of a 1962 act that allows the president to restrict imports if they are threatening national security. The case hinged on the exemption from global trade rules the WTO allows in cases of national security. The central U.S. argument was that national security is for countries themselves to judge and certainly not something to be assessed by three WTO adjudicators sitting in Geneva.

☆ Nearly 10% of marine life threatened with extinction -Red List
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary IUCN releases biodiversity barometer during U.N. talksClimate change, pollution 'devastating' marine speciesDugongs number in just the hundreds in some regionsGENEVA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The effects of human activity from climate change to pollution are "devastating" marine life, with nearly a tenth of underwater plants and animals assessed so far threatened with extinction, the latest Red List of Threatened Species showed on Friday. "It shows that we are having quite a devastating impact on marine species," Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the IUCN Red List, told Reuters. Hilton-Taylor said the portion of marine species facing extinction was likely much higher than current data shows because those analysed so far have tended to be widespread fish species, not currently under threat. The latest list reviews abalone species, a type of mollusc sold as a luxury seafood item, for the first time and found that around 44% of them face extinction. "The awful status of these species should shock us and engage us for urgent action," said Amanda Vincent, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Marine Conservation Committee.

☆ Red Cross visits POWs held by Russia and Ukraine, commends progress
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the Geneva-based body has reached hundreds of prisoners on both sides. "My expectation is that these visits lead to more regular access to all prisoners of war," the statement cited ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric as saying. The U.N. human rights office said last month that its monitors had not been allowed access to Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia. The ICRC said it carried out a two-day visit to Ukrainian POWs last week, with another happening this week. It also visited Russian POWs last week and more such visits are planned by month-end.

South Africa, Pakistan and India were among countries that made formal requests, during an initial three days of talks that ended on Wednesday, to ensure the process is inclusive. "The advanced countries have the requisite resources and can afford to have it covered and we cannot," he said. In parallel, country teams are discussing setting up a G20 pandemic fund and revamping the WHO's existing health emergency rules. Many poorer countries lack technical specialists to advise on WHO matters within the Geneva diplomatic mission, where the U.N. agency is based. South Africa's Precious Matsoso, co-chair of the pandemic treaty talks, told Reuters countries could hire experts to help, or band together for regional representation.

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