Author: News Desk

Switzerland: The latest data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that one woman dies every two minutes during pregnancy or childbirth, with too few countries in the world managing to substantially reduce maternal death rates since 2016. According to the WHO report, Trends in Maternal Mortality, while there was significant progress in reducing maternal deaths between 2000 and 2015, those gains stalled or were even reversed in the five years to 2020. “While pregnancy should be a time of immense hope and a positive experience for all women, it is tragically still a shockingly dangerous experience for…

Mexico: In advance of significant elections next year, Mexican senators have approved a contentious electoral reform supported by President Mr. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The Senate voted 72 to 50 in favour of the plan to cut the independent organisation responsible for overseeing elections and its funding. After passing the lower house with a number of amendments, the bill now goes to the president for enactment. The bill is a scaled-back version of the more radical reforms that Mr. Lopez Obrador had originally proposed, which had sparked large-scale street demonstrations in response to what was seen as an attack on…

Ukraine: UN Secretary-General Mr. António Guterres has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an “affront” to the world’s collective conscience at a meeting of the General Assembly nearly one year on. The meeting was discussing a motion backed by Ukraine and its allies demanding the end of war immediately and calling for a “just and lasting peace.” In his opening remarks, the Secretary-General highlighted the impact on the world of Russia’s invasion. Mr. Guterres noted that it has generated eight million refugees and damaged global food and energy supplies in countries far away from the war zone. “That invasion is…

United States: United States President Mr. Joe Biden has condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to suspend his country’s participation in the last remaining US-Russia nuclear arms control treaty as a “big mistake.” The comment came as the US president ended his wartime visit to Europe, working to enhance partnerships with allies on Nato’s perilous eastern flank even as Mr. Putin was approaching China for help as his invasion of Ukraine reaches one year. Mr. Biden’s comments came as he met a key group of NATO allies in Poland. The group of eastern European states, known as the Bucharest Nine,…

United Kingdom: Two new studies have found that satisfying relationships with partners, family, friends, and work colleagues as well as exercising at least once every month could boost physical and mental health in old age. The two new research papers in specialist journals published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) have shed new light on what behaviours in middle age might help improve our chances of enjoying good health later in life. The first study found that social relationships with partners, relatives, friends, and colleagues are linked to a lower risk of accumulating multiple long-term conditions in old age. The…

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia has agreed to deposit $1 billion in Yemen’s central bank, which is situated in Aden. The move is intended to stimulate the war-torn nation’s economy. Months after the internationally recognised government was deposed by Houthi rebels, who now rule Sanaa, the capital, and a sizable portion of the country’s north, Riyadh engaged militarily. After the Houthis launched a series of raids on facilities there late last year that hindered oil shipments, a crucial source of income, the internationally recognised government situated in the south saw its public finances deteriorate. The Arab Monetary Fund, situated in the…

United States: After a resolution by the city council, Seattle is the first US city to outlaw caste-based discrimination. Councilwoman Ms. Kshama Sawant, who wrote the legislation, stated that the fight against caste bias is deeply connected to the fight against all forms of oppression. In order to stop caste bias from spreading more widely in the US, the ban’s supporters argue that it is necessary. Hindu society in India is split into tight hierarchical divisions by the nearly 3,000-year-old caste system. Similar prohibitions against caste bias have recently been implemented on the campuses of American institutions, and Seattle’s law…

Philippines: Australia and the Philippines have explored the possibility of joint patrols in the disputed South China Sea, days after the Southeast Asian country held similar talks with the United States to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the disputed waterway. Australian Defence Minister Mr. Richard Marles announced that he had discussed joint patrolling with Philippine Defence Secretary Mr. Carlito Galvez Jr. “As countries that are committed to the global rules-based order, it is natural that we should think about ways in which we can cooperate in this respect. We did talk today about the possibility of exploring joint patrols, and…

Russia: The owner of the mercenary firm Wagner, Mr. Yevgeny Prigozhin, has charged Russia’s top military officials with high treason after stating they withheld crucial ammunition for the conflict in Ukraine and refused to provide air assistance. The fight for the town of Bakhmut is being led by Mr. Prigozhin’s Wagner Group in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk area. “There is simply direct opposition going on [to attempts to equip Wagner fighters]. This can be equated to high treason,” Mr. Prigozhin stated in a voice message posted on his Telegram channel. One of Mr. Sergey Shoigu’s fiercest detractors, Mr. Prigozhin maintains that…

United States: Ms. Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of murdered black civil rights activist Malcolm X, has stated that she is suing the New York City Police Department and other agencies for her father’s 1965 murder. Ms. Shabazz claimed that US officials fraudulently concealed evidence that they “conspired to and carried out their plan to assassinate” her father, and that the planned legal action was announced at the site where he was fatally shot exactly 58 years ago in New York.” “For years, our family has fought for the truth to come to light concerning his murder,” Ms. Shabazz shared at…