“The risk of an oil spill, which poses an extremely serious threat to the environment, remains high,” said Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary General of the IMO, stressing that the tanker is carrying about 150,000 tonnes of oil.
“There is widespread concern about the damage such an oil spill would cause in the region,” he added.
‘Unacceptable attack’
Referring to the situation surrounding the tanker MV Sounion, which was attacked while transiting the southern Red Sea, he said: “This is yet another unacceptable attack on international shipping, endangering the lives of innocent seafarers.”
Since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023 following Hamas-led attacks on Israel, the Houthis in Yemen have carried out attacks on ships with ties to Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in the besieged enclave.
“Merchant ships carrying essential goods and the seafarers serving on them should be able to sail freely around the world, unhindered by geopolitical tensions,” he said, reiterating a call for “an immediate end to the illegal, cowardly and unjustified attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea area”.
Mr Dominguez expressed his gratitude to all those involved in the rescue operations and ensuring that all seafarers were safely evacuated, noting that the IMO is in contact with national, regional and UN agencies and other stakeholders regarding the ongoing incident and will continue to monitor the situation closely.
UN Women deeply concerned about new Afghan morality law
UN Women issued a statement on Wednesday expressing deep concern over a new Taliban morality law targeting women that imposes sweeping restrictions on personal behavior and “effectively eliminates women from public life.”
The law on “promotion of virtue and prevention of vice” significantly deepens the already severe restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls, including requiring women to cover their entire bodies and faces, and banning women from speaking out in public, the gender equality agency said.
Women are also forbidden from associating with non-Muslims, traveling alone on public transportation, and looking at men to whom they are not related by blood or marriage.
More than 70 laws undermine women’s rights
In the past three years since the Taliban regained power, they have subjected Afghan women and girls to more than 70 edicts, directives and decrees, depriving them of their basic rights.
According to a new UN Women survey, only one percent of women surveyed feel they have an influence on decision-making in their communities. Sixty-four percent say they don’t feel safe leaving their homes alone, compared to two percent of men. Eight percent say they know at least one woman or girl who has attempted suicide since August 2021.
“UN Women stands in unwavering solidarity with every Afghan woman and girl subjected to these measures and we will continue to work with our partners to support the full realization of their rights,” the statement concluded.
Vietnam in spotlight over alleged misuse of anti-terrorism law
To Vietnam, where authorities have allegedly abused anti-terrorism laws alarm caused from leading independent experts in the field of law.
In a warning about the treatment of the Montagnard indigenous group and Christian religious minorities in the Southeast Asian country, human rights experts highlighted the mass trial by a mobile court in which 100 people were convicted on terrorism-related charges.
The hearing was held in response to attacks on two police stations in Dak Lak province in June last year, which left nine people dead.
The independent human rights experts, including Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorismalleged that authorities had deployed vigilantes from an ethnic majority group to track down suspects believed to belong to the Montagnard community.
Torture, forced confessions
“Some detainees were subjected to torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in custody, including forced confessions. One detainee also died in custody…after being tortured,” said the experts, who report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva and are not UN personnel.
They explained that the 100 convicted suspects in the mass trial “were mainly charged with vague and overly broad terrorist crimes.” They maintained that the mobile court “had no clear legal basis and was not independent of political influence.”
As the 2024 Paralympic Games get underway in Paris, the head of the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) has pushed for greater access to so-called “assistive technology,” which many people with disabilities rely on.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the devices, including walking blades, wheelchairs and prostheses, are hugely important for today’s Paralympic athletes, “but many people worldwide still lack access to crucial assistive technology due to high costs and low availability”.
Integration with primary care
Tedros called on governments, donors and civil society to “prioritize these neglected but crucial products by integrating them into primary care programs” in the name of universal health coverage, which is a key Sustainable Development Goal.
WHO estimates that more than 2.5 billion people today lack access to assistive technology. Only five to 35 percent of the 80 million people who need a wheelchair actually have access to one, depending on where they live, and only one in ten people who need hearing aids has them.
