Game-changing international marine protection treaty comes into force

Officially known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, the legally binding UN treaty covers the ocean zones that lie beyond national waters (the “high seas”) and the international seabed area.  These regions make up over two-thirds of the ocean’s surface, representing over 90 per cent of Earth’s habitat by volume. This is because the ocean […]

UN urges de-escalation, protection of civilians as conflict roils Syria

UN urges de-escalation, protection of civilians as conflict roils Syria

On Sunday, violence erupted between Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias in Sweida, two days after a Druze merchant was abducted on the highway to Damascus. The casualty figures are unclear according to local reports, but the death toll is at least 30, and hundreds have been injured.   As violent unrest continued Monday, […]

World News in Brief: Terror-crime link alarm, child detention in Australia, judiciary in Maldives, Protection of Civilians Week

World News in Brief: Terror-crime link alarm, child detention in Australia, judiciary in Maldives, Protection of Civilians Week

In recent years, criminal and terrorist groups have seized “every” opportunity afforded by growing instability to “entrench, expand, and escalate,” said Ghada Waly, in her opening remarks to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, in Vienna. Challenges such as human and drug trafficking, smuggling of cultural and commercial goods, and environmental crimes are […]

Port Sudan: Aid officials call for greater protection as drone attacks continue

Port Sudan: Aid officials call for greater protection as drone attacks continue

The escalation is occurring as war grinds on between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who appear to be targeting airports in each other’s areas of control. “Very concerned by ongoing drone strikes on Port Sudan,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher tweeted on Wednesday.  “International humanitarian law must […]

How vitamin D affects COVID-19? Penn State researcher explores further

How vitamin D affects COVID-19? Penn State researcher explores further

A Penn State researcher is studying whether vitamin D supplementation could help people ward off or reduce symptoms caused by COVID-19. Margherita Cantorna, distinguished professor of molecular immunology and nutrition in the College of Agricultural Sciences, received nearly $241,000 as part of a competitive revision to the final year of an existing NIH grant that […]