Since the start of an outbreak this past April, 698 children have died from measles in Zimbabwe, according to the country’s health ministry, and there there has been a total of 6,291 cases recorded in as of 4 September 2022. The deaths have been attributed to unvaccinated children who did
Ecuador’s government and its largest Indigenous rights organization, The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (CONAIE), signed an agreement on Thursday 30 June 2022, to end 18 days of mass protests in the country. It promises a 15 cent USD reduction to diesel and petrol prices. Additionally, this deal also places limits
An explosion at an illegal oil refinery in the Abaezi forest, in southeastern Nigeria, claimed at least 110 lives, during the night of April 22nd. This is the latest disaster connected to Nigeria’s illegal oil industry. Recently, 25 people were killed in an illegal refinery blast in October 2021. Nigeria is
At least 116 people were killed and 80 injured in an Ecuadorian prison riot that broke out on September 28th. Many bodies were discovered across the Litoral penitentiary in the city of Guayaquil, as security forces fought to retake control from the cartels. The killings were brutal; many people were
On 16 September, the United Nations (UN) Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela released a report. It alleges that Venezuela lacks judicial independence, and its justice system is perpetuating human rights abuses. This includes instances of judges allowing evidence obtained through torture. There is also a
As neighboring India is experiencing a second COVID-19 wave, the number of cases in Nepal have also surged, raising significant concerns. Daily cases hit a high of 9,070 on Thursday, May 6 2021. This represents a massive increase over the 298 daily cases from a month ago. Cumulative deaths from
The Senate in Argentina voted 38-29 on Wednesday, December 30, 2020 to approve a bill to legalize abortion. The law legalizes abortion for all cases of pregnancy for up to 14 weeks, which represents a significant shift from the status quo, which only allowed abortion in cases of rape or
In Mexico, funding cuts that are a part of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic threaten efforts to search for the over 61,000 disappeared persons in the country. The government body known as the Commission for Assistance to Victims (CEAV) faces significant cuts, which could be as high as
While Singapore was praised early on for its response to COVID-19, with less than 600 cases by the beginning of April, that number has since increased to over 17,000. As of May 6 2020, 17,758 migrant workers living in dormitories tested positive for the Coronavirus. This figure represents 88 per
Argentinian President Alberto Fernández announced in the National Congress on Sunday, March 1 2020, that he will be backing a bill that seeks to legalize abortion in Argentina. The Argentine government has estimated that about 350,000 illegal abortions take place annually, with human rights groups estimating an even higher, 500,000.
As Uganda and Tanzania hurry to respond to the largest locust outbreak in parts of East Africa in decades, the United Nations (UN) has warned that immediate action is needed in this vulnerable region, before more rainfall weeks from now allows for vegetation growth that would feed generations of locusts.
According to the United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP), nearly 8 million people in Zimbabwe face food insecurity in the midst of an extensive drought and an ongoing economic crisis in the country. The WFP now plans to increase the number of Zimbabweans it provides aid to, to 4.1
Seven men were sentenced to between 30 to 50 years for the murder of Honduran indigenous environmentalist Berta Cáceres. In November 2018, a Honduran court ruled that her murder was ordered by executives of DESA, the company constructing the Agua Zarca dam. They found that this action was motivated by
In Peru, five men connected to the timber industry were charged with murder in the 2014 deaths of four indigenous environmental activists. The four indigenous activists found dead on Sept. 1, 2014 included the leader, Edwin Chota, along with Jorge Ríos Pérez, Leoncio Quinticima and Francisco Pinedo. The five charged,
In Mexico, the southern state of Oaxaca decriminalized abortion in a 24-10 vote in the state legislature, on September 25 2019. Abortion restrictions during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy were lifted. This decision makes this state only the second part of Mexico to decriminalize abortion. Mexico City, capital of
Ongoing wildfires in the Amazon rainforest have been such in magnitude that they have raised significant environmental concerns, including threatening the Indigenous tribes residing in it. The fires have been raging across the Amazon, which spans many South American countries, although the focus has remained largely on the rainforest that
According to the latest United Nations (UN) figures, during the first half of 2019, in the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, pro-government forces including the Afghan military and their international U.S.-led allies were responsible for more civilian deaths than insurgent forces. This marks the first time pro-government forces were found responsible
On Sunday, it appeared that an ongoing four-day heatwave in western Europe, which had killed seven people, began to ease up. Temperatures are set to gradually decline while wildfires are being slowly controlled. In the Gard region of France, a national record temperature of 45.9 degrees Celsius was recorded during
Opioid-related overdoses and deaths have been a significant public health crisis in Canada for some time, with the province of British Columbia (B.C.) having declared a public health emergency in 2016. In B.C. life expectancy fell in 2017, for the second year in a row. Nationally, it is now apparent
Tensions have increased in Sudan during disagreements between the Sudanese military and protesters. The main protest group has stated that the military is not serious about a transfer of power to civilian rule, following the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir. Ongoing negotiations between the protesters and the Transitional Military Council
