WORLD

Vienna, Austria | Xinhua | For the first time in 20 years, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a decline in the number of detected human trafficking victims as there were fewer opportunities for traffickers to operate and some trafficking forms were less likely to be detected, a United Nations (UN) …

Tehran, Iran | Xinhua | Iran on Tuesday strongly condemned new sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) and Britain and vowed to take retaliatory measures. Iran reserves the right to take retaliatory measures against such “failed policies” and will soon announce its new list of sanctions against the “human rights …

Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told Congress on Tuesday that classified documents had been found at his home in Indiana. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer said in a statement that Pence reached out on Tuesday about the misplaced documents. “He has …

United Nations, USA | Xinhua | At least 32 UN peacekeeping personnel were slain in deliberate attacks last year, with the Mali mission suffering the most, the UN Staff Union said Friday. Among the 32 fatalities were 28 military and 4 police personnel, including a woman police officer, said the Staff Union …

Sydney, Australia | Xinhua | A new research led by the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) has found that being judged online can negatively affect the mood and cognitive functioning of adolescents. The study, published in the Scientific Reports journal in December 2022, examined the impacts by having …

Houston, U.S. | Xinhua | Oil prices are falling. Now many experts expect the trend to continue over the next two years, with significant uncertainties ahead. PROJECTED FALLING PRICES The U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA) forecast earlier this month that the average Brent crude oil price would decrease from 100.94 U.S. …

Brussels, Belgium | Xinhua | European Union (EU) military assistance to Ukraine will be topped up by a further 500 million euros (543 million U.S. dollars), foreign ministers agreed on Monday. Training for the country’s military worth 45 million euros has also been agreed, EU foreign chief Josep Borrell said. “This …

Ankara, Türkiye | Xinhua | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday warned Sweden that it should not expect Türkiye’s backing to join the NATO following the burning of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. “Those who allow such disgraceful acts in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm can’t …

Davos, Switzerland | Xinhua | The global economy has regained steam after a difficult COVID-19 pandemic, but experts at the World Economic Forum (WEF) say a recovery is far from certain. Under the theme “Cooperation in a Fragmented World,” the WEF’s 2023 annual meeting concluded here on Friday. The gathering came …

Paris, France | Xinhua | France and Germany should together become “pioneers” in the refoundation of Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday in Paris during the celebration of the 60th anniversary of France-Germany reconciliation. Macron pointed out that the first task of the two countries, as pioneers, should be …