Stranded seafarers escape Ukraine, others trapped – ILO, sources
GENEVA - Some of the estimated 1,000 seafarers trapped in Ukraine have escaped, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and industry officials told Reuters, while...
How China’s lockdowns are rippling through the economy
CHINA’S lockdowns to contain the country’s worst COVID outbreak since early 2020 have battered the economy, stalling production in major technology and financial hubs like Shenzhen and Shanghai, and halting spending by millions of people shut in their homes.
Oxfam says 263 million more face extreme poverty
THE IMPACTS of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), rising global inequality and soaring food prices caused by the war in Ukraine are set to send more than a quarter-billion more people into poverty this year, according to charity group Oxfam International.
Ukraine rights group tells top UN body that rape is being used as weapon...
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations is increasingly hearing accounts of rape and sexual violence in Ukraine, a senior U.N. official told the Security Council on Monday, as a Ukrainian human rights group accused Russian troops of using rape as a weapon of war.
Taiwan issues first war survival handbook amid China threat
TAIPEI — Taiwan’s military released a handbook on civil defense for the first time on Tuesday, giving citizens survival guidance in a war scenario as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine focuses attention on how the island should respond to China’s pressure.
Taiwan premier calls for speedy passage of chip protection laws
TAIPEI - Taiwan's premier has called for the swift passage of revisions to laws mandating tougher punishments to prevent China from stealing its chip...
As Malaysia tests AI court sentencing, some lawyers fear for justice
By Rina Chandran
BANGKOK - Few cases ruffle Hamid Ismail after nearly two decades as a lawyer, but he was taken aback when a man he defended...
U.S. monitoring rise in rights abuses in India, Blinken says
By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was monitoring what he described as a rise in human rights abuses...
Biden to Modi: Buying more Russian oil is not in India’s interest
By Steve Holland and Trevor Hunnicutt
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that buying more oil from Russia was not in India's interest and could...
Macron and Le Pen face French runoff with Europe-wide impact
PRESIDENT Emmanuel Macron is set to face his nationalist rival Marine Le Pen in the final round of the French election in a re-run of their 2017 contest that will reverberate across Europe.
War to cut Ukraine’s GDP output by over 45% — WB
WASHINGTON — Ukraine’s economic output will likely contract by a staggering 45.1% this year as Russia’s invasion has shuttered businesses, slashed exports and rendered economic activity impossible in large swaths of the country, the World Bank (WB) said on Sunday.
Shanghai to lift lockdown in some areas despite rise in COVID cases
SHANGHAI — Authorities in China’s financial center of Shanghai said they would start lifting lockdown in some areas from Monday, despite reporting more than 25,000 new COVID-19 infections, as they strive to get the city moving again after more than two weeks.