News headlines in January 2022, page 19

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Jan 07 (IPS) - Global efforts to end tuberculosis (TB) are futile without dedicated investment in research into the debilitating disease that is killing 4000 people a day, Stop TB Partnership warns.

2021 marked the 25th year in a row in which the key Greenland ice sheet lost more mass during the melting season, than it gained during the winter, according to a new UN-endorsed report issued on Friday. 

Despite travel bans and other COVID-19 restrictions, the small team at Viet Nam’s wildlife forensic lab has been bolstering police efforts to crack down on illegal trafficking, with support from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 

ROME, Jan 07 (IPS) - As the Omicron surge overwhelms the world, it is clear to people everywhere that the actions which leaders so far have taken in response to the Covid-19 crisis have not been sufficient to overcome it.

Super Typhoon Rai which ripped through the Philippines over Christmas, has created a massive emergency with huge and ongoing needs, UN humanitarians said on Friday.

MADRID, Jan 06 (IPS) - There are more under-reported consequences of human activities unmatching the rhythm of Mother Nature. Such is the case, among many others, of the growing salinisation and ‘plastification’ of the world's soils.

The UN is urging authorities in Lebanon to conduct a quick and thorough investigation into an attack earlier this week against peacekeepers maintaining security and stability in the south of the country. 

“Refugees are not and should never be a target”, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Thursday, following reports of a deadly airstrike on the Mai Aini refugee camp in Tigray, northern Ethiopia.

Amid alarming reports of deadly violence in Kazakhstan, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Asia have called for restraint and dialogue.  

The highest number of COVID-19 cases so far in the pandemic were reported last week across the globe, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) told journalists on Thursday.