Month: October 2019

UN chief urges ‘maximum restraint’ following policy shift over northeastern Syria

The UN chief on Tuesday expressed “great concern” over recent policy statements made regarding northeastern Syria, following the announcement from the United States at the start of the week, that it would withdraw troops from the area close to the border with Turkey. Secretary-General António Guterres, “has called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint,” said a statement released by his Spokesperson, emphasizing his concern for the risks posed to civilians by potential military actions in […]

Alarming number of women mistreated during childbirth, new UN health agency figures show

More than a third of women surveyed across four lower-income countries reported mistreatment during childbirth, a new study led by the World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed. The study, published on Wednesday in The Lancet – an influential peer-reviewed science journal –  was carried out in Ghana, Guinea, Myanmar and Nigeria, and found that 42 percent of the 2,016 women observed had experienced physical or verbal abuse, stigma or discrimination during labour and childbirth. According to WHO, quality […]

Can we feed the world and ensure no one goes hungry?

Enough food is produced today to feed everyone on the planet, but hunger is on the rise in some parts of the world, and some 821 million people are considered to be “chronically undernourished”. What steps are being taken to ensure that everyone, worldwide, receives sufficient food? Thanks to rapid economic growth, and increased agricultural productivity over […]

World Space Week 4-10 October

2019 theme: “The Moon: Gateway to the Stars” The theme of World Space Week 2019 is “The Moon: Gateway to the Stars”. It celebrates the 50th anniversary of humankind’s first step on the Moon on 20 July 1969. For the first time in our 200,000-year existence, we were not solely bound to Earth anymore. The […]

Security Council must seize ‘golden opportunity’ for stability in Great Lakes region: UN envoy

The international community must step up efforts to end instability around Africa’s Great Lakes so that millions there can benefit from its riches, the UN Special Envoy for the region told the Security Council on Thursday. “The Great Lakes region is, more than ever before in recent history, resolutely committed to pursuing stability for itself”, Huang Xia […]