News headlines in January 2023, page 3

The head of the UN health agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Monday that COVID-19 is still a global health threat and that now is not the time to declare the pandemic over.

Top UN-appointed independent rights investigators on Monday urged the authorities to share more information on mass graves and other serious crimes linked to the country’s civil war.

More countries have worked to eliminate dengue, leprosy and other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) over the past decade, but greater efforts and investment are needed in the face of pandemic-related disruptions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. 

In an interview with UN News, Gennady Trukhanov, the Mayor of Odesa, describes the inclusion of the historic city centre and port in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a great victory, which will help in the protection of the Odesa’s cultural treasures.

Online hate speech might seem like an unstoppable tide, but strategies are being employed by governments, civil society, and individuals, to fight back. A new UN Podcasts series, UNiting Against Hateexplains how this dangerous phenomenon is being tackled worldwide.

Online hate speech is a growing, worrying phenomenon that puts lives at risks. In the second of three feature stories based on the new UN Podcasts series, UNiting Against Hatewe focus on the national strategies Costa Rica and the Czech Republic have put in place to tackle the issue.

There is a general recognition across Venezuela’s political and social spectrum of the need for reform, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Saturday, wrapping up a trip to the country during which, among others, he heard complaints of arbitrary detention and torture. 

Antisemitism has been described as the canary in the coal mine of freedom, and with hateful bigots and dangerous conspiracy theorists now finding willing audiences online, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday said, “we must pledge to speak out wherever we witness hate and to stand up for human rights and dignity for all.”

Whilst hate speech is nothing new, it has arguably been super-charged by the internet, which has allowed lies, conspiracies, and threats to instantly spread around the world. In a short series of features, based on the new UN Podcasts series, UNiting Against Hatewe look at the effects, and possible solutions, to this growing problem.

URBANA, Illinois, USA, Jan 27 (IPS) - Recently, the United States Department of Agriculture granted a conditional license for the first-ever honeybee vaccine. This is an exciting step that will protect bees from American foulbrood disease and ultimately help to stop the alarming decline in their numbers.