WORLD

Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict is likely to drive COVID-19 transmission ever higher and in turn increase the risk of large numbers of people developing severe disease. “WHO is deeply concerned about the unfolding humanitarian emergency in Ukraine,” …

Volatility in the oil market is caused by geopolitical developments rather than changes in market fundamentals New York, U.S. | Xinhua | Oil prices surged again on Wednesday after major oil producers decided to stick to modest output increase despite supply fears amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) …

Hong Kong, China | Xinhua | The recent Indo-Pacific strategy unveiled by U.S. President Joe Biden is at odds with his pledges to avoid conflict and a cold war with China, according to a recent editorial published by the South China Morning Post. Most aspects of the document lean toward countering …

Tokyo, Japan | Xinhua | Toyota Motor Corp. on Wednesday said operations at all of its domestic plants had been resumed after being suspended a day earlier due to one of its suppliers being hit by a cyber attack. The Nagoya-based automaker said that after it had restored its production data …

Women globally still have only three quarters of the legal rights afforded to men Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | Around 2.4 billion women of working age globally are not afforded equal economic opportunity, the World Bank said in a report Tuesday. In 86 countries, women face some form of job restriction …

United Nations | Xinhua | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is against discrimination against some foreign nationals attempting to flee the fighting in Ukraine, his spokesman said on Tuesday. “The secretary-general strongly repudiates, in any shape or form, all discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, in the context of this conflict, as …

A massive Russian airstrike hit the center of Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv on Tuesday Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | Fighting continues as Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has entered the seventh day, while a new round of peace talks is reportedly to take place. A massive Russian airstrike hit …

Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree introducing temporary economic measures to ensure the country’s financial stability, the Kremlin announced on Tuesday. These measures will be taken in response to anti-Russian sanctions by the United States, other countries and international organizations, according to the decree. Among …

Tehran, Iran | Xinhua | Tehran will not wait “forever” for a possible nuclear deal if the United States fails to make decisions, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Tuesday. The United States has already “walked away” from the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan …

Brussels, Belgium | Xinhua | The European Union (EU) should be ready to face the cost of its sanctions against Russia as Moscow is now widely expected to retaliate, EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell warned on Monday. “Sanctions will backlash, sanctions have a cost … …