Vaccine News from Cuba: Soberana 02 clinical trials expanded
(GRANMA)—Expanded phase II B clinical trials of Cuba’s anti-Covid-19 candidate vaccine Soberana 02 with volunteers between 19 and 80 years of age, began at the 19 de Abril and No. 1 Polyclinics, in the Havana municipalities of Plaza de la Revolución and La Lisa, respectively. For the purpose of evaluating reactions, safety and immunogenicity of the candidate, created by the...
Former Marine gets prison time for smuggling guns to Haiti
RALEIGH, N.C.—A former U.S. Marine found guilty of conspiracy to illegally export and smuggle firearms and controlled equipment from the U.S. to Haiti has been sentenced to more than five years in prison, federal prosecutors have announced. A March 2 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Raleigh said Jacques Yves Sebastien Duroseau, 34, was sentenced by a U.S....
Indian PM calls for cordial relations with Pakistan
ISLAMABAD—Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a letter to his Pakistani counterpart saying he desires cordial relations with Pakistan, officials said March 23, in what appeared to be a rare peace overture. Mr. Modi wrote Imran Khan to congratulate him on the country’s annual Pakistan Day, which commemorates March 23, 1940. On that day the Muslim leadership in the eastern city of...
Indigenous and Afro Latino victims and unrest in Colombia
BOGOTA, Colombia—Forty-two people have died during anti-government protests that began two weeks earlier amid discontent fueled by growing poverty and inequality during the pandemic, Colombia’s human rights ombudsman said. The government agency added May 11 that 168 people had been reported missing during the protests, which were set continuing. On May 5, the human rights ombudsman said 24 people had...
Families still struggling one year after Beirut explosion: UNICEF
A year after the devastating explosions in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, a staggering 98 percent of families are still in need, according to a survey published by the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF. The rapid assessment highlights the severity of the trauma children suffered, and the dire needs families have experienced, which have been magnified by a collapsing economy, political instability and...
In Barbados, UN Secretary General Guterres highlights power of ‘youth voices’ ahead of key trade and development conference
The UN secretary-general on Oct. 3 said he was committed to ensuring that the organization is a place where “youth voices are heard, and their ideas lead,” as he spent the day in Barbados which hosted a major UN conference on trade and development, focused on the need to build a global green economy and recover equitably from the...
Iran to sanction U.S. nationals, entities for human rights violations: Official
According to humanrights.eadl.ir, Judiciary Deputy for International Affairs and Secretary-General of Iran’s Human Rights Office, Kazem Gharibabadi said that the United States sticks to its failed policy of maximum pressure on the Iranian people and misuses sanctions in order to pursue its own political agenda, while the U.S. officials and entities do not respect human rights values. The secretary-general noted...
Panama renews bid to pass bill marking 1989 U.S. invasion as ‘mourning day’
Panama’s National Assembly has renewed efforts to pass a bill to officially recognize December 20 as the ‘day of national mourning,’ marking the deadly U.S. military invasion of the country in 1989. Local activists, who have been pushing for the enactment of such a legislation for years, have decried successive U.S.-backed administrations for politicizing and hindering the cause, accusing them...
Armed bandits kill at least 62 vigilantes in Nigeria’s Kebbi state
At least 62 members of a volunteer vigilante group in Nigeria’s northwestern Kebbi state have been killed by unidentified gunmen in the worst violence to hit the African country this year. According to the head of the group and a police spokesman, the motorcycle-borne armed assailants ambushed the group on the night of March 6 and opened indiscriminate fire at...
Young innovators win video competition with ideas for a better future
Marking World Intellectual Property Day, on April 26 UN patent experts announced the champions of this year’s youth video competition. Selected among 142 entries from 63 countries, the top three winners come from Syria, Ghana, and China, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) winners sent the message globally that young people are stepping up to innovation challenges, using their energy and creativity to...