Pacific 

UN rights expert exposes $1 billion ‘death trade’ in arms for Myanmar military

The report states that some “UN Member States are enabling this trade” through a combination of outright complicity, lax enforcement of existing bans, and easily circumvented sanctions, according to a news release from the UN rights office OHCHR. Access to advanced weaponry  “Despite overwhelming evidence of the Myanmar military’s atrocity crimes against the people of Myanmar, the generals continue to… Read More
Pacific 

Dozens feared dead in Myanmar as Cyclone Mocha creates ‘nightmare scenario’

With coastal winds recorded at up to 250 kilometers per hour making landfall off the Bay of Bengal, the storm tore through villages in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, leaving villagers to piece together their ruined homes while they wait for aid and support. According to news reports, Mocha ripped off roofs, smashed fishing boats, uprooted trees and brought down power lines… Read More
Pacific 

UN agencies brace for disaster as Cyclone Mocha intensifies in Bay of Bengal

The very severe cyclonic storm is quickly strengthening in the Bay of Bengal, threatening the region with violent winds, flooding, and landslides that could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of the world’s most vulnerable people, said Clare Nullis, of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The agency’s regional specialized meteorological centre in New Delhi forecast that Mocha would move towards coastal… Read More
Pacific 

Afghanistan: Rights experts alarmed over Taliban use of ‘brutal’ punishments

The urgent call from the ten Special Rapporteurs and members of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, came in response to an announcement by the Taliban-appointed Supreme Court in favour of punishments including stoning, flogging and burying people under a wall. Women most vulnerable The de facto deputy chief of the court, announced on 4 May that… Read More
Pacific 

Locust outbreak in Afghanistan threatens wheat harvest

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) sounded the alarm on Wednesday after locusts were spotted in the country’s north and northeast. FAO said that a “full outbreak” this year could destroy up to 1.2 million metric tonnes of wheat, or a quarter of the total annual harvest. FAO Representative in Afghanistan Richard Trenchard said that together with partners, the… Read More
Pacific 

Pakistan: Guterres calls for end to violence following arrest of Imran Khan

Mr. Khan pleaded not guilty to corruption charges on Wednesday, appearing before a judge at a police guest house, which also served as a court room, according to news reports. Multiple charges His appearance there, reportedly coincided with an indictment by the High Court in Islamabad, in a separate corruption case brought by the Election Commission, involving allegations that he… Read More
Pacific 

Iran: Over 200 executed since January; Türk calls for end to death penalty

More than 10 people are put to death each week in Iran, High Commissioner Türk said, making the country “one of the world’s highest executors”, with at least 209 people executed since the beginning of the year according to sources quoted by the UN rights office (OHCHR), in a press release. Incompatible with international norms Executions are carried out “mostly”… Read More
Pacific 

UN calls on Taliban to end corporal punishment in Afghanistan

“Corporal punishment is a violation of the Convention against Torture and must cease,” said UNAMA’s human rights chief Fiona Frazer, stressing that the UN is “strongly opposed” to the death penalty. She called on the de facto authorities to establish an “immediate moratorium” on executions. Flogging and stoning In a new report, UNAMA said that it had documented “a range… Read More
Pacific 

Afghanistan: Women tell UN rights experts ‘we’re alive, but not living’

“We are alarmed about widespread mental health issues and accounts of escalating suicides among women and girls,” they said in a joint statement. “This extreme situation of institutionalized gender-based discrimination in Afghanistan is unparalleled anywhere in the world.” ‘Extreme’ discrimination Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, de facto authorities have issued a cascade of restrictive orders that… Read More
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