News headlines in January 2022, page 21

STOCKHOLM, Jan 05 (IPS) - A brutal drama is unfolding in Ethiopia and it is difficult to find straightforward accounts of what is happening there. However, this does not prevent people from taking a unilateral stand for either of the factions involved in the disaster.

WASHINGTON DC, Jan 05 (IPS) - Across Latin America and the Caribbean there is a culture of impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence. Crimes against women and girls often go unpunished and under-reported due to societal misconceptions about victimhood and the nature of sex crimes.

The arrest and detention of at least 29 casino union leaders and activists during a strike that began on New Year’s Eve in Cambodia, may represent a breach of human rights law, independent UN rights experts said on Wednesday. 

Authorities in Myanmar are being urged to conduct a full investigation into the killing of a journalist last month, reportedly during an army attack in the southeast, the UN’s educational and cultural agency, UNESCO, said on Wednesday. 

Though highly preventable and treatable, cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in reproductive-aged women globally, according to the UN health agency, kicking off Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday that a harsh winter in Afghanistan is aggravating already severe conditions faced by millions across the country.

Warring parties should never attack children or the services they rely on, a senior official with the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said on Tuesday, following recent violence and disruption in Syria. 

A devastating fire has ripped through a COVID-19 treatment centre for Myanmar refugees sheltering in Bangladesh, UN migration agency (IOM) said on Tuesday.  

Harare, Zimbabwe, Jan 04 (IPS) - In her wildest dreams, smallholder farmer Sarudzai Sithole never imagined that her pineapples could someday stock the produce section of Europe’s finest supermarkets.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how critical it is to ensure essential information is accessible to everyone, including people living with disabilities.  On World Braille Day, observed on 4 January, UN agencies have been highlighting how they are promoting a disability-inclusive response to the crisis.