Oxfam forced to shutter aid in 18 nations
Oxfam International it will shed almost 30% of its global staff and pull up stakes in 18 nations due to financial hardship.
Asia-Pacific
Enjoy our Free+ stories and our weekly newsletter
Start your free accessAlready have an account? Log in
Virus enters world's largest refugee camps
Officials sounded the alarm after the first COVID-19 infections were detected at the world's largest refugee settlement for Rohingyas in Bangladesh.
Singaporean chosen as next WIPO director
WIPO's top governing body appointed Daren Tang, a lawyer from Singapore, to serve as its next chief in a contest reflecting U.S.-China tensions.
E.U. raises €7.4 billion for anti-virus effort
World leaders joined forces for the launch of a European Union-led global pledging "marathon" that delivered promises of €7.4 billion for COVID-19 research.
U.N. expert: Myanmar atrocities continue
A U.N. human rights investigator urged the world body to "step up its efforts" to protect ethnic and religious minorities from the Myanmar military.
Global COVID-19 cases exceed 3 million
Global confirmed cases of COVID-19 passed 3 million as New Zealand, several European nations and a few U.S. states took steps to ease lockdowns.
U.N. finds abuses with some lockdowns
The U.N. human rights chief warned some governments are abusing emergency powers to fight the pandemic by resorting to police brutality and other tactics.
WHO aid is latest U.S.-China battleground
China raised its donations for the WHO's pandemic efforts to US$50 million a week after U.S. President Donald Trump halted the U.N. agency's U.S. funding.
IRENA says renewable energy boosts GDP
Governments could use energy transformations to create jobs, meet climate targets and produce GDP gains of US$98 trillion by 2050, according to a new report.
Leaders decry Trump cuts to WHO funding
World leaders and public health authorities denounced U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to halt funding for the World Health Organization.
WHO chief repudiates Trump scapegoating
Two weeks after praising U.S. leadership in the pandemic, the U.N. health agency chief pushed back against White House attempts at scapegoating.
Domestic abuse rises with virus lockdowns
The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating domestic violence as half the world's population grapples with stay-at-home orders to keep the virus from spreading.
Uprooted 70 million at risk in virus spread
The coronavirus pandemic threatens to disproportionately harm more than 70 million people who have been forcibly displaced by wars and violent crises.
U.N. launches $2 billion anti-virus plan
The U.N. asked governments and private donors to provide $2 billion to meet emergency health needs in the poorest countries coping with the pandemic.
Europe's mixed progress toward U.N. goals
Air pollution levels exceed recommended health limits in all but 10 mainly European countries, but most lowered carbon emissions and expanded forest cover.
WHO: World's first coronavirus pandemic
WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic — the global spread of a new disease — marking the first time a coronavirus has gained that distinction.