News headlines in July 2022, page 18

MEXICO CITY, Jul 08 (IPS) - Eduardo Reyes, originally from Puebla in central Mexico, was offered a 40-hour workweek contract by his recruiter and his employer in the United States, but ended up performing hundreds of hours of unpaid work that was not authorized because his visa had expired, unbeknownst to him.

The UN health agency (WHO) issued an urgent appeal on Friday for access to sick and injured people caught up in the war in Ukraine, including “hundreds” of landmine victims, “premature babies, pregnant woman, older people, many of whom have been left behind”.

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 08 (IPS) - This week marks the mid-way point to the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and with it the release of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022.

Stronger collaboration among countries is the only sustainable path to a peaceful, stable, prosperous world for all, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in Bali, Indonesia, on Friday.  

Prospecting used to be about digging up gold and other minerals. Today “bioprospecting” is allowing countries to use the natural riches at their disposal, for the production of pharmaceuticals, and other commercially viable products.  

MADRID, Jul 07 (IPS) - Far-right Brazilian president, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, was quoted a year ago or so as saying to a small group of indogenous people that they “now look a bit more like humans.”

Democratic and responsible governance is needed to counter ongoing insecurity in West Africa and the Sahel, the UN Special Representative for the subregion told the Security Council on Thursday. 

Social protection for rural workers “remains a dream”, according to a report launched in Geneva on Thursday by the Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV), part of the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO).

The United States must withdraw unilateral sanctions which are resulting in discrimination against academics from affected countries, a group of independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said on Thursday. 

Intersecting global crises are threatening the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and impacting food supplies, health, education, and security across countries worldwide, according to a new UN report released on Thursday.