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UN chief calls on Myanmar’s military to immediately stop repression, release prisoners

New York, February 22 – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his full support to the people in Myanmar and called on the country’s military to respect human rights and democracy.

The UN leader said in a speech delivered to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that he welcomes a resolution to be issued by the council regarding the military coup that toppled the civilian government in Myanmar. Following is Guterres’ statement on the situation in Myanmar:

“We see the undermining of democracy, the use of brutal force, arbitrary arrests, repression in all its manifestations. Restrictions of civic space. Attacks on civil society. Serious violations against minorities with no accountability, including what has rightly been called ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya population. The list goes on. It is all coming together in a perfect storm of upheaval.

Today, I call on the Myanmar military to stop the repression immediately. Release the prisoners. End the violence. Respect human rights, and the will of the people expressed in recent elections.

Coups have no place in our modern world. I welcome the resolution of the Human Rights Council, pledge to implement your request, and express my full support to the people of Myanmar in their pursuit of democracy, peace, human rights and the rule of law.”

UN chief: Pandemic used to stoke racism, xenophobia and inequality; calls for action to defend human rights

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Geneva/New York, February 22 – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced in a blistering speech to the Human Rights Council in Geneva that the coronavirus pandemic has been used by groups and powerful people to incite racism and violence.

He urged the council as it opened its annual meeting to urgently fight the blight of racism, discrimination and xenophobia and “the most pervasive human rights violation of all: gender inequality. These evils are fed by two of the deepest wells of injustice in our world: the legacy of centuries of colonialism; and the persistence, across the millennia, of patriarchy.”

“Stoking the fires of racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim bigotry, violence against some minority Christian communities, homophobia, xenophobia and misogyny is nothing new,” he said. “It has just become more overt, easier to achieve, and globalized. When we allow the denigration of any one of us, we set the precedent for the demonization of all of us.”

“The danger of these hate-driven movements is growing by the day. Let us call them what they are: White supremacy and neo-Nazi movements are more than domestic terror threats. They are becoming a transnational threat.”

He said those people promoting racism and violence has exploited the pandemic to boost their ranks and they are often cheered by people in power. “We need global coordinated action to defeat this grave and growing danger.”

Guterres called on the council to implement a Call to Action for Human Rights that he launched last year which is based on the words and values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“Using the pandemic as a pretext, authorities in some countries have deployed heavy-handed security responses and emergency measures to crush dissent, criminalize basic freedoms, silence independent reporting and curtail the activities of non-governmental organizations.”

Turning to the issues of availability of Covid-19 vaccines, Guterres said the pandemic has deepened existing inequalities between rich and poor.

“Extreme poverty is rising for the first time in decades. Young people are struggling, out of school and often with limited access to technology. The latest moral outrage is the failure to ensure equity in vaccination efforts.”

He said 75 per cent of existing Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in just 10 countries while more than 130 countries have not received a single dose despite the fact that vaccine equity is “ultimately about human rights.”

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Michael Bloomberg, a major contributor to UN programs, is honored with new, separate terms as UN climate and WHO ambassador

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New York, February 5 – Billionaire Michael Bloomberg, Founder, Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, was re-appointed the UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to “mobilize stronger and more ambitious climate action in the lead-up to the critical Glasgow Climate Conference – COP 26 – in November 2021.”

Bloomberg, former New York City Mayor and a US presidential candidate, was also confirmed (February 3) for a third term as the World Health Organization Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General in Geneva.

Following is the statement issued by the UN on Bloomberg’s reappointment as climate envoy:

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres (February 5) announced the reappointment of Michael R. Bloomberg of the United States as his Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions to mobilize stronger and more ambitious climate action in the lead-up to the critical Glasgow Climate Conference – COP 26 – in November 2021.

Mr. Bloomberg will support the work of the Secretary-General in growing and strengthening the coalition of governments, companies, cities and financial institutions committing to net-zero before 2050 in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. The Special Envoy will engage government officials and members of the private sector and civil society to finalize and implement plans, particularly in high-emitting countries, industries and sectors, to vastly accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy. Mr. Bloomberg will leverage his deep experience and track record in accelerating the transition from coal to help deliver on the Secretary-General’s global call for the phase-out of coal in industrialized countries by 2030, and all other countries by 2040, underpinned by a just transition for affected communities and workers.

As Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions, Mr. Bloomberg’s work will build on the outcomes of the 2019 Climate Action Summit and 2020 Climate Ambition Summit and will stress the Secretary-General’s call to ensure that all measures to respond to the CoViD-19 pandemic are aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

As founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and the 108th Mayor of New York City, Mr. Bloomberg is globally recognized for his work to accelerate climate action, including support for the Beyond Coal movement, which helped to catalyze momentum towards the clean energy transition in the United States and other countries, and America’s Pledge, an initiative to quantify and report the actions of U.S. states, cities, businesses and organizations, to drive down their greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

In addition, Mr. Bloomberg also supports efforts of cities and mayors taking climate action at the local level. He is the board president of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a global network of 97 major cities, and co-chair of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, a network of more than 10,000 cities and local governments. He also currently serves as chair of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, and at the Secretary-General’s request, formed the Climate Finance Leaders Initiative in 2019.

Mr. Bloomberg is a graduate of John Hopkins University and Harvard Business School and is co-author of Climate of Hope: How Cities, Businesses, and Citizens Can Save the Planet.

—-WHO in Geneva said Bloomberg has contributed to efforts to tackle noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer and respiratory diseases, which account for over 74% of deaths globally and worsen outcomes of patients with COVID-19.

Following is the statement issued (February 3) by WHO in Geneva:

His WHO Ambassador role follows decades of involvement in health policy, including his three terms as mayor of New York City, and a long-standing collaboration with WHO to take on some of the biggest global health challenges.

In his role, Bloomberg will continue to raise awareness about the link between COVID-19 and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), advocate for investment in measures to tackle NCDs and injuries, mobilize cities for better health, and support the use of health data to drive programs and policies.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the full danger of noncommunicable diseases – and signaled the urgent need for stronger public health policies and investment to prevent them,” said Dr Tedros. “We urge world leaders in business and government to take aggressive steps to prevent noncommunicable diseases. Fewer NCDs would have meant fewer deaths during the pandemic.”

“The majority of those who have died from COVID-19 had an underlying noncommunicable disease, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic lung disease or cancer. NCDs account for nearly three-quarters of all deaths around the world, and the scale and urgency of the problem was thrown into sharp relief by COVID-19. NCDs can be prevented, and we know what works,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries.

“Bloomberg Philanthropies has been working with WHO to reduce tobacco use, support healthier diets, fight cardiovascular disease, and strengthen health data to guide our work. We look forward to expanding our efforts to help more cities and countries take action on NCDs and to save lives.”

NCDs currently kill over 40 million people every year. These chronic conditions have also increased the death toll from COVID-19, which has already taken over two million lives. People who are obese, who use tobacco, and who have hypertension are at increased risk of being hospitalized and dying from COVID-19.

In addition to COVID-19, Bloomberg’s work with WHO and investments more broadly in public health focus on major, life-saving initiatives to reduce tobacco and youth e-cigarette use, support healthy food policy, reduce drowning, and improve road safety and maternal health, among others.

In 2017, Bloomberg Philanthropies partnered with WHO and Vital Strategies to launch the Partnership for Healthy Cities, a network of 70 global cities, covering nearly 300 million people, committed to preventing NCDs and injuries since 2017. Over the past year, it has expanded its support to urban leaders around the world to include the resources and tools to overcome the challenges of the pandemic.

After more than 15 years of collaboration, WHO and Bloomberg Philanthropies have shared major achievements across public health:

5 billion people covered by at least one strong tobacco control measure

3.3 billion people have benefitted from stronger road safety laws

70 cities covering almost 300 million people, committed to preventing NCDs and injuries

Countries around the world have been supported to strengthen their health data systems through the Data for Health Program. The newly released SCORE Report is the first to gauge countries’ progress in producing sustainable health data.

WHO and Bloomberg Philanthropies will continue to drive change in tobacco control, prevention of noncommunicable diseases, road safety, injuries and improving health data. Later this year, in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, WHO will launch a new “NCD investment case” outlining the value of investing in policies and interventions to prevent NCDs.

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World leaders uphold multilateralism to tackle global problems in speeches to Davos Agenda 2021

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Geneva/New York, January 26 – Learning from the harsh realities inflicted by the pandemic, some world leaders gave strong support to multilateralism as a way to deal with global crises as they contributed ideas and visions for the future to the virtual meeting of the Davos Agenda 2021.

“This is the hour of multilateralism,” said Angela Merkel, the Federal Chancellor of Germany, urging support for the global campaign of vaccination against Covid-19, for transparency, international organizations and for building resilience among nations.

Speaking on the second day of the Davos Agenda 2021, Merkel welcomed US President Joe Biden’s decision to retain the US membership in the World Health Organization. Several other top leaders of governments and international organizations also lauded Biden for promptly claiming back the WHO seat and reversing former President Donald Trump’s decision to exit WHO.

“If we want to have multilateral agreements, common standards have to be put down as regards conditions of work and the environment. We have to be very fast at finding new answers to digitalization,” she said. “We need to address global monopolies, but going it alone won’t suffice to address them.”

“The vaccine shows we can find a way out of this pandemic, but it will be much harder than we think,” she said.

Merkel pushed back calls for Europe to take sides between the United States and China in a move that she appeared to agree with Chinese President Xi Jinping who addressed the Davos Agenda 2021 the day earlier.

“I would very much wish to avoid the building of blocs,” Merkel said. “I don’t think it would do justice to many societies if we were to say this is the United States and over there is China and we are grouping around either the one or the other. This is not my understanding of how things ought to be.”

“The Chinese president spoke yesterday, and he and I agree on that. We see a need for multilateralism.”

“But there is one question where we are not in immediate agreement. Probably the question of what it means when you have different social models. When does interference begin and where does it end? When do you stand up for elementary values that are indivisible?” she said.

The Chinese leader warned the US president not to nudge Europe into an alliance against Beijing, saying that any attempt to freeze China out of global trade and technology networks risked reigniting the Cold War.

“Forming small groups or launching new cold wars on the world stage; excluding, threatening and intimidating others; resorting to decoupling, supply disruption or sanctions would only push the world towards division, if not confrontation,” Xi said.

“Repeatedly, history and the reality reminded us that, if we walk down the path of confrontation — be it a cold war, a hot war, a trade war or a tech war — all countries are going to suffer in terms of their interests and their people’s well-being.”

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who addressed the forum at its opening, said 2021 offered the world the opportunity for an inclusive recovery from the pandemic while also tackling climate change and biodiversity loss.

“We have reached a moment of truth. In 2021 we must address these fragilities and put the world on track”, he said.

“It is time to change course and take the sustainable path. And, this year, we have a unique opportunity to do so. We can use our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic to move from fragilities to resilience.”

“Inclusive and sustainable recovery around the globe will depend on the availability and effectiveness of vaccines for all, immediate fiscal and monetary support in both developed and developing countries, and transformative longer-term stimulus measures”, he said.

Top leaders from scores of governments, international organizations and corporations were invited to hold the virtual January 25-29 debate known as the Davos Agenda 2021 to try to rebuild trust while the world is struggling to stamp out Covid-19 that has killed over 2 million people in the past 12 months.

Organized by the World Economic Forum, the Davos Agenda 2021 under the theme “A crucial Year to Rebuild Trust,” is expected to gather the world’s foremost leaders to address the economic, environmental, social and technological challenges following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to reset priorities and the urgency to reform systems have been growing stronger around the world,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

“Rebuilding trust and increasing global cooperation are crucial to fostering innovative and bold solutions to stem the pandemic and drive a robust recovery. This unique meeting will be an opportunity for leaders to outline their vision and address the most important issues of our time, such as the need to accelerate job creation and to protect the environment.”

The five-day program themes are:

–Designing cohesive, sustainable, resilient economic systems (25 January)

–Driving responsible industry transformation and growth (26 January)

–Enhancing stewardship of the global commons (27 January)

–Harnessing the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (28 January)

–Advancing global and regional cooperation (29 January)

Organizers said more than 1,500 business, government and civil society leaders from over 70 countries “will set the agenda for a critical year ahead and discuss how to catalyse impact in the rapidly advancing Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

The conclusions from the Davos Agenda week will feed into task forces working on global issues for the upcoming Special Annual Meeting in Singapore.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres; Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO) and Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF) are among the heads of international organizations who will address the forum

WEF said the Fourth Industrial Revolution represents a fundamental change in the way we live, work and relate to one another. It is a new chapter in human development, enabled by extraordinary technology advances commensurate with those of the first, second and third industrial revolutions. These advances are merging the physical, digital and biological worlds in ways that create both huge promise and potential peril.

It said the pandemic has “demonstrated that no institution or individual alone can address the economic, environmental, social and technological challenges of our complex, interdependent world. The pandemic has accelerated systemic changes that were apparent before its inception. The fault lines that emerged in 2020 now appear as critical crossroads in 2021. The Davos Agenda will help leaders choose innovative and bold solutions to stem the pandemic and drive a robust recovery over the next year.”

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Covid-19 pandemic, climate, health and job fears prompt a majority of people to support more international cooperation to solve global problems. UN survey says

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New York, January 8 – A year-long United Nations-led campaign of survey and dialogues involving more than 1.5 million respondents in 193 countries showed that a majority of them are supporting international cooperation to resolve global problems from heath to climate issues.

The UN said its consultations around the world resulted in a good response as people shared their short- and long-term priorities, their ideas for action and calls for a more inclusive, transparent UN to deal with pressing global challenges. They also showed optimism for a better future in the midst of the pandemic.

The survey was made public under the title, “Shaping our future together: key findings of UN75 survey and dialogues.” It was launched by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in January 2020 as he sought to provide an opportunity to listen to people and to allow them to share their hopes and fears for the future and to discuss who they expected to work together to address the challenges.

“The UN75 global consultation showed that 97 percent of respondents support international cooperation to tackle global challenges,“ Guterres said. “That represents a very strong commitment to multilateralism, and to the mission of the United Nations. Now it is up to us – Member States and the UN Secretariat – to meet the expectations of the people we serve.”

The survey said a majority of respondents (52 per cent) believe that international cooperation is essential for addressing global challenges, while 34 per cent believe it is very important, and 11 per cent believe it is fairly important. Only 3 per cent believe international cooperation is not important or not important at all.

The highest percentage of respondents supporting international cooperation are from North America and from higher human development countries who believe more in international cooperation than those in lower human development countries.

The report said respondents look to the UN to “lead in international cooperation to address immediate and longer-term global challenges, and many also want the organization to innovate – to be more inclusive, engaged, accountable and effective. “

The respondents strongly favor the UN to provide:

· Moral leadership.

· A reformed, more representative and more agile UN Security Council.

· A revised Charter that includes today’s most pressing global challenges, like climate change.

· Continued management and leadership reforms, including more inclusive hiring practices,

more accountability and more transparency.

· An inclusive and participatory UN system, with improved understanding of the work of the

UN among citizens around the world, and which shows more care for the needs of ordinary

people.

· Improved implementation, monitoring and evaluation of UN programmes globally, to more

effectively solve international problems.

Key findings from the UN75 survey and dialogues include (as provided by the UN):

As COVID-19 reversed progress in human development and widened inequalities, many

prioritized access to basic services and support to the hardest hit places and communities in

the short-term

· Amid a striking shortfall in healthcare to meet the needs generated by the pandemic,

respondents’ top immediate, short-term priority globally was ‘Universal access to healthcare’.

· As COVID-19 forced children out of schools around the world, ‘More investment in education

and youth programmes’ ranked high among respondents, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa

and Central and Southern Asia.

· Reflecting the stark reality that three billion people lack a basic hand-washing facility with soap

and water at home, ‘Access to safe water and sanitation’ was another critical immediate

priority for respondents during the pandemic, across all human development levels.

· Many respondents, especially in low and middle income countries, prioritized ‘Global

solidarity’ and the need to provide ‘Support to the hardest hit people and communities’, and

to ‘Address inequalities that have deepened as a result of COVID-19.’

· Less respondents in Very High Human Development countries viewed ‘Support to the hardest

hit places’ as a high priority.

Respondents living in lower human development countries and those living in conflict

situations tended to express greater optimism about the future

· Globally, many more respondents believed people will be better off (49%) in 2045 than today,

compared with those who believe people will be worse off (32%).

· Respondents in Sub-Saharan Africa were the most optimistic about the future (59%), followed

by Central and Southern Asia (52%), and Eastern and South-eastern Asia (51%). Respondents

in Northern America (49%), Europe (48%), Latin America and the Caribbean (48%) and Oceania

and Antarctica (47%) were most pessimistic about the future.

· Respondents in regions with lower human development countries were far more optimistic

about the future than respondents in regions with higher human development countries.

Respondents living in conflict situations were more optimistic about the future.

While they expect access to health services to improve over the next 25 years, respondents in

all regions identified climate change and environmental issues as the number one long-term

global challenge

· ‘More environmental protection’ is the number one long-term priority for respondents,

globally, ranking in the top three priorities across all regions.

· The highest percentages of respondents who chose ‘Climate change and the environment’ as

a top threat were in Latin America and the Caribbean (73%), while the lowest was is Sub- Saharan Africa (37%).

Other longer-term priorities vary according to income levels, but include rising concern with

employment opportunities, respect for human rights and reducing conflict

· While respondents in UNDP’s category of higher human development countries tended to give

the highest priority to the environment and human rights, those in lower human development

countries tended to accord the highest priority to less conflict and meeting basic needs, such

as employment, healthcare and education.

· ‘More respect for human rights’ ranked number three globally as a long-term priority. It

ranked number one in Northern Africa and Western Asia and number two in Northern

America and Europe.

· ‘More employment opportunities’ rose from the tenth long-term priority identified by

respondents in April 2020 to the sixth priority in December 2020. This may reflect the

dramatic COVID-19 related workplace closures, working-hour and labour income losses.

· Reducing conflict is a high priority among respondents in Eastern and South-eastern Asia,

Northern Africa and Western Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

· While respondents in countries that are not in conflict are more concerned about tensions

between countries, those in conflict situations are more concerned about violence within their

borders.

97% of respondents believe that international cooperation is important for addressing global

challenges, with variation in the degree of importance across regions

· The majority of respondents believe that international cooperation is essential (52%) for

addressing global challenges, while 34% believe it is very important, and 11% believe it is

fairly important. Only 3% of respondents believe international cooperation is not important

or not important at all.

· The degree of importance of international cooperation varies across regions, with the highest

percentage of respondents who viewed it favorably from Northern America.

· Respondents in higher human development countries tend to perceive the need for

international cooperation as greater than those in lower human development countries.

· A majority of respondents globally say that COVID-19 has increased their view of the

importance for greater cooperation between countries.

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China’s centuries-old martial art tai chi (taijiquan) inscribed in UNESCO’s cultural heritage list; tai chi joins yoga as world’s best body-mind health exercises

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NEWS FEATURE

Paris/New York – China waited for 12 years after applying for UNESCO’s World Heritage list for its centuries-old martial art familiarly known as tai chi worldwide and finally was accepted without much fanfare except for the connoisseurs of the physical exercise recognized by health authorities.

The decision on December 18 by the Paris-based UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization put tai chi on the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. China, with at least 50 UNESCO World Heritage sites, belongs to a handful of countries that have the highest number of such sites. Other countries are France, Germany, Italy, India, Mexico and Spain.

Here is what UNESCO said about tai chi:

“Taijiquan is a traditional physical practice characterized by relaxed, circular movements that works in concert with breath regulation and the cultivation of a righteous and neutral mind. Originating during the mid-seventeenth century in Wenxian County in the Henan Province of central China, the element is now practiced throughout the country by people of all ages and by different ethnic groups.

Taijiquan’s basic movements center upon wubu (five steps) and bafa (eight techniques) with a series of routines, exercises and tuishou (hand-pushing skills performed with a counterpart). Influenced by Daoist and Confucian thought and theories of traditional Chinese medicine, the element has developed into several schools (or styles) named after a clan or a master’s personal name. The element is passed down through clan-based transmission or the master-apprentice model. The latter relationship is established through the traditional ceremony of baishi. Taijiquan has also been incorporated into the formal education system. The element builds upon the yin and yang cycle and the cultural understanding of the unity of heaven and humanity. It has been disseminated through legends, proverbs and rituals, among other vehicles of expression. Safeguarding the element would increase its visibility and dialogue about the diverse ways Taijiquan is practiced by different communities.”

There are an estimated 300 million tai chi practitioners globally. Organizers of tai chi events always delighted at bringing thousands of people together to demonstrate their skills.

Tai chi has a lengthy list of followers, from world models to athletes. But Chinese martial art experts and movie actors like Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Jackie Chan are the biggest promoters of the martial art in movies and educational programs.

Xinhua News Agency said China originally applied in 2008 and was rejected because it was seeking to list Shaolin kung fu, Peking opera and acupuncture in addition to tai chi. UNESCO then limited two requests per year for each country for cultural heritage sites and China revised its applications accordingly. It was reported that China successfully applied in 2011 for Chinese shadow puppetry and in 2013 for Chinese zhusuan, or abacus-based mental calculation.

“Taijiquan is not just a sport to make people fit, but also contains Chinese culture and philosophy,” researcher Yan Shuangjun told Xinhua News Agency. “The application started in 2008, and now we made a victory, which will help this sport to reach more places.”

Xinhua said tai chi has a massive, devoted global following. Millions of elderly Chinese people practice it every day in city parks, and celebrities and other public figures regularly make public references to their practice of it for the health benefits it is said to provide.

According to the Mayo Clinic in the United States, doing tai chi can reduce stress, anxiety and depression, improve aerobic capacity, energy and stamina, enhance the immune system and relieve joint pain.

Xinhua said tai chi originated in the village of Chenjiagou, in central China’s Henan province, in the mid-17th century.

Yoga was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.

In 2014 the United Nations proclaimed 21 June as International Yoga Day as the discipline is being followed by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

UNESCO said describes yoga as “The philosophy behind the ancient Indian practice of yoga has influenced various aspects of how society in India functions, whether it be in relation to areas such as health and medicine or education and the arts. Based on unifying the mind with the body and soul to allow for greater mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing, the values of yoga form a major part of the community’s ethos. Yoga consists of a series of poses, meditation, controlled breathing, word chanting and other techniques designed to help individuals build self-realization, ease any suffering they may be experiencing and allow for a state of liberation. It is practiced by the young and old without discriminating against gender, class or religion and has also become popular in other parts of the world. Traditionally, yoga was transmitted using the Guru-Shishya model (master-pupil) with yoga gurus as the main custodians of associated knowledge and skills. Nowadays, yoga ashrams or hermitages provide enthusiasts with additional opportunities to learn about the traditional practice, as well as schools, universities, community centers and social media. Ancient manuscripts and scriptures are also used in the teaching and practice of yoga, and a vast range of modern literature on the subject available.”

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UN chief calls on Myanmar’s military to immediately stop repression, release prisoners

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Covid-19 pandemic, climate, health and job fears prompt a majority of people to support more international cooperation to solve global problems. UN survey says

China’s centuries-old martial art tai chi (taijiquan) inscribed in UNESCO’s cultural heritage list; tai chi joins yoga as world’s best body-mind health exercises

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