Monday, September 21, 2026
Home Blog Page 209

Venezuelan National Guard linked to killings, torture and repression, UN investigation finds

0
Venezuelan National Guard linked to killings, torture and repression, UN investigation finds

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission says the force has played a central role in systematic repression since 2014, reinforcing impunity and violating fundamental rights.

“The facts we have documented show the role of the GNB in ​​a system of systematic and coordinated repression against opponents or those perceived as such, which has continued for more than a decade. » said Marta Valiñas, president of the mission.

“The persistence of these crimes and the lack of adequate justice require a determined response from national and international accountability mechanisms. »

Excessive force

The GNB has used excessive force, including inappropriate use of lethal weapons, during periods of heavy protest in 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2024.

The Mission said it had reasonable grounds to believe that officials fired indiscriminately at protesters, including directly targeting vital areas of the body.

Investigators also received reports of projectiles modified to cause more damage.

They also documented mass and targeted arbitrary detentions, physical violence during arrests, planted evidence, torture, and sexual and gender-based violence at GNB facilities used as temporary detention centers.

Abuse pattern

“The torture, ill-treatment and acts of sexual violence that we have seen – including assault and rape – are not isolated incidents. They are part of a system of abuse used to punish and break victims,” Ms Valiñas said.

The report reveals that the GNB played a central role in politically motivated persecution, which constitutes a crime against humanity.

Military force also played a key role in the 2024 post-election “Operation Tun Tun” (Spanish for “knock, knock”) raids that sought to target and criminalize opponents through unfounded accusations of terrorism or incitement to hatred.

Structural impunity and systemic failures

The report identifies what the Mission described as “a pattern of structural impunity supported by systemic failures within the Venezuelan justice system, revealing its inability or refusal to investigate or prosecute violations committed by the GNB.”

This situation is further characterized by stalled investigations, prolonged procedural paralysis, manipulation of evidence, deliberate obstruction by the GNB and accountability exclusively limited to junior staff.

The report contains an in-depth analysis of the branch’s internal operational structures, including its chain of command.

It also details how Venezuela’s “national security” doctrine has merged military and police functions, thereby legitimizing the militarization of public security and expanding the GNB’s role in operations aimed at social control and internal repression.

About the fact-finding mission

THE Independent international fact-finding mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was created by the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019 to assess alleged violations committed in the country since 2014.

Over the past year, she has also focused on investigating the human rights situation around the disputed 2024 presidential elections and violence perpetrated by pro-government militias known as “colectivos.”

The Mission is made up of three members who receive their mandate from the Human Rights Council, based in Geneva. They are not UN staff and are not paid for their work.

Originally published at Almouwatin.com

Venezuela’s National Guard linked to killings, torture and repression, UN probe finds

0
Venezuela’s National Guard linked to killings, torture and repression, UN probe finds

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission says the force has played a central role in systematic repression since 2014, entrenching impunity and violating basic rights.

“The facts we have documented show the role of the GNB in a pattern of systematic and coordinated repression against opponents or those perceived as such, which has continued for more than a decade,” said Marta Valiñas, the Mission’s Chair.

“The persistence of these crimes and the absence of adequate justice require a determined response from national and international accountability mechanisms.”

Excessive force

The GNB used excessive force, including the improper use of lethal weapons, during peak periods of protest in 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2024.

The Mission said it has reasonable grounds to believe that officials fired indiscriminately on protestors, including aiming directly at vital areas on the body. 

Investigators also received information regarding projectiles being modified to cause greater harm.

They also documented mass and targeted arbitrary detentions, physical violence during arrests, planting of evidence, torture, and sexual and gender-based violence inside GNB facilities that were used as temporary detention centres.

Pattern of abuse

“The torture, ill-treatment, and acts of sexual violence we have verified – including assaults and rape – were not isolated incidents. They form part of a pattern of abuse used to punish and break victims,” said Ms. Valiñas.

The report found the GNB was a central actor in the commission of persecution on political grounds, which is a crime against humanity.

The military force also played a key role in the 2024 post-election “Operation Tun Tun” (Spanish for “knock, knock”) raids that sought to target and criminalise opponents through unfounded accusations of terrorism or incitement to hatred.

Structural impunity and systemic failures

The report identifies what the Mission described as “a pattern of structural impunity sustained by systemic failures within the Venezuelan judicial system, revealing its inability or unwillingness to investigate or prosecute violations committed by the GNB.” 

This is further characterized by stalled investigations, prolonged procedural paralysis, manipulation of evidence, deliberate obstruction by the GNB, and accountability that is exclusively limited to low-ranking personnel.

The report contains an in-depth analysis of the internal operational structures of the branch, including its chain of command.

It also details how Venezuela’s “national security” doctrine has merged military and police functions, thus legitimising the militarization of public security and expanding the GNB’s role in operations aimed at social control and internal repression. 

About the Fact-Finding Mission

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was established by the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019 to assess alleged violations committed in the country since 2014.

Over the past year, it has also focused on investigating the human rights situation surrounding the disputed 2024 presidential elections and on violence by pro-government militias known as “colectivos”.

The Mission consists of three members who receive their mandate from the Human Rights Council, which is based in Geneva.  They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work. 

Source link

Winners of EU Product Safety Awards announced

0
Winners of EU Product Safety Awards announced

An SME in Spain and a company in Germany have won gold in the EU Product Safety Awards. Deep Detection SL won for their PhotonAi Cameras in the SME category and allnex Germany GmbH won the large company award for its coating additives and resins that eliminate PFAS from their additives. Source link

Source link

Winners of EU Product Safety Awards announced

0
Winners of EU Product Safety Awards announced

An SME in Spain and a company in Germany have won gold in the EU Product Safety Awards. Deep Detection SL won for their PhotonAi Cameras in the SME category and allnex Germany GmbH won the large company award for its coating additives and resins that eliminate PFAS from their additives.

Source link

Deal on comprehensive reform of EU pharmaceutical legislation | News

0
Deal on comprehensive reform of EU pharmaceutical legislation | News

Regulatory data and market protection to support innovation

Parliament and Council negotiators agreed to a regulatory data protection period (during which other companies cannot access product data) of eight years, with one additional year of market protection (during which generic or biosimilar products cannot be sold), following a marketing authorisation.

Pharmaceutical companies would be eligible for additional periods of market protection:

  • if the particular product addresses an unmet medical need (12 months);
  • if it contains a new active substance, fulfilling a combination of conditions on comparative clinical trials, clinical trials carried out in several member states, and the obligation to apply for market authorisation within 90 days after the submission of the application for the first marketing authorisation outside the Union (12 months);
  • if the company obtains an authorisation for one or more new therapeutic indications that bring a significant clinical benefit in comparison with existing therapies (12 months).

The deal envisages a cap of eleven years on the combined regulatory protection period.

Orphan medicinal products addressing a disease with no current available medicinal treatment (“breakthrough orphan medicinal products”) would benefit from up to eleven years of market exclusivity.

To support earlier market entry of generic and biosimilar medicinal products, the deal clarifies the scope of the “Bolar” exemption (which allows manufacturers to conduct certain activities during the market protection period of the original product). Patent rights would not be infringed when necessary studies, trials and other activities are conducted for the purposes of obtaining marketing authorisations, conducting health technology assessments, obtaining pricing and reimbursement approvals, or submitting procurement tender applications.

Stepping up the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Negotiators agreed to introduce a “transferable data exclusivity voucher” for priority antimicrobials, giving the right to 12 additional months of data protection for one authorised product. The 12-month extension may be used once, for the priority antimicrobial or for another centrally authorised medicinal product of the same or different marketing authorisation holder.

Among new measures to promote the prudent use of antimicrobials, the deal introduces stricter requirements, such as compulsory medical prescriptions for all antimicrobials, specific information requirements to be provided with the package leaflet, and an “awareness card” in paper format in case the leaflet is made available only electronically.

When applying for marketing authorisation for antimicrobials, companies would also need to provide an “antimicrobial stewardship plan” and include an evaluation of the risk for antimicrobial resistance as part of the compulsory environmental risk assessment.

Competitive regulatory framework

The updated rules would simplify the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) internal functioning, to enable it to treat market authorisation requests more rapidly. Marketing authorisation applications would be submitted electronically in a common format. Marketing authorisation for a medicinal product would be valid by default for an unlimited period, avoiding the unnecessary administrative burden linked to renewals (the EMA would still have the possibility to limit validity, on safety grounds).

Under special conditions, the Commission may set up regulatory sandboxes, to allow the development and testing of new and innovative therapies, under the direct supervision of the competent authorities.

Ensuring the availability of medicines

Companies holding marketing authorisations for medicinal products would be required to put in place and update shortage prevention plans for medicinal products subject to prescription and medicinal products that would require a shortage prevention plan identified by the Commission. Shortages would be monitored at both national and EU levels, and the EMA would establish and update a list of critical shortages in the EU.

More details on various other aspects of the provisional agreement are available in this background document.

Statements from Adam Jarubas (EPP, PL), chair of the Committee on Public Health, Tiemo Wölken (S&D, DE), rapporteur (for the regulation) and Dolors Montserrat (EPP, ES), rapporteur (for the directive) are available here.

Press conference

MEPs Adam Jarubas (public health committee chair), Tiemo Wölken (regulation rapporteur) and Dolors Montserrat (directive rapporteur) will hold a press conference on Thursday 11 December, at 9.30 CET, in Parliament’s Anna Politkovskaya press conference room (SPAAK 0A50) in Brussels.

Accredited journalists can attend the press conference in person, while those wishing to participate actively and ask questions remotely can do so via Interactio. The press conference will be streamed live and be made available on Parliament’s Multimedia Centre.

Next steps

Parliament and Council have concluded an “early second reading agreement” (negotiation took place after Parliament’s first reading was adopted in plenary). The Council is now expected to formally adopt its position, which can then be endorsed by Parliament in second reading.

Background

On 26 April 2023, the Commission put forward a pharmaceutical package to revise the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation. It includes proposals for a new directive and a new regulation, which aim to make medicines more available, accessible and affordable, while supporting the competitiveness and attractiveness of the EU pharmaceutical industry, and raising environmental standards.

Source link

Deal on comprehensive reform of EU pharmaceutical legislation | News

0
Deal on comprehensive reform of EU pharmaceutical legislation | News

Regulatory data and market protection to support innovation

Parliament and Council negotiators agreed to a regulatory data protection period (during which other companies cannot access product data) of eight years, with one additional year of market protection (during which generic or biosimilar products cannot be sold), following a marketing authorisation.

Pharmaceutical companies would be eligible for additional periods of market protection:

  • if the particular product addresses an unmet medical need (12 months);
  • if it contains a new active substance, fulfilling a combination of conditions on comparative clinical trials, clinical trials carried out in several member states, and the obligation to apply for market authorisation within 90 days after the submission of the application for the first marketing authorisation outside the Union (12 months);
  • if the company obtains an authorisation for one or more new therapeutic indications that bring a significant clinical benefit in comparison with existing therapies (12 months).

The deal envisages a cap of eleven years on the combined regulatory protection period.

Orphan medicinal products addressing a disease with no current available medicinal treatment (“breakthrough orphan medicinal products”) would benefit from up to eleven years of market exclusivity.

To support earlier market entry of generic and biosimilar medicinal products, the deal clarifies the scope of the “Bolar” exemption (which allows manufacturers to conduct certain activities during the market protection period of the original product). Patent rights would not be infringed when necessary studies, trials and other activities are conducted for the purposes of obtaining marketing authorisations, conducting health technology assessments, obtaining pricing and reimbursement approvals, or submitting procurement tender applications.

Stepping up the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Negotiators agreed to introduce a “transferable data exclusivity voucher” for priority antimicrobials, giving the right to 12 additional months of data protection for one authorised product. The 12-month extension may be used once, for the priority antimicrobial or for another centrally authorised medicinal product of the same or different marketing authorisation holder.

Among new measures to promote the prudent use of antimicrobials, the deal introduces stricter requirements, such as compulsory medical prescriptions for all antimicrobials, specific information requirements to be provided with the package leaflet, and an “awareness card” in paper format in case the leaflet is made available only electronically.

When applying for marketing authorisation for antimicrobials, companies would also need to provide an “antimicrobial stewardship plan” and include an evaluation of the risk for antimicrobial resistance as part of the compulsory environmental risk assessment.

Competitive regulatory framework

The updated rules would simplify the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) internal functioning, to enable it to treat market authorisation requests more rapidly. Marketing authorisation applications would be submitted electronically in a common format. Marketing authorisation for a medicinal product would be valid by default for an unlimited period, avoiding the unnecessary administrative burden linked to renewals (the EMA would still have the possibility to limit validity, on safety grounds).

Under special conditions, the Commission may set up regulatory sandboxes, to allow the development and testing of new and innovative therapies, under the direct supervision of the competent authorities.

Ensuring the availability of medicines

Companies holding marketing authorisations for medicinal products would be required to put in place and update shortage prevention plans for medicinal products subject to prescription and medicinal products that would require a shortage prevention plan identified by the Commission. Shortages would be monitored at both national and EU levels, and the EMA would establish and update a list of critical shortages in the EU.

More details on various other aspects of the provisional agreement are available in this background document.

Statements from Adam Jarubas (EPP, PL), chair of the Committee on Public Health, Tiemo Wölken (S&D, DE), rapporteur (for the regulation) and Dolors Montserrat (EPP, ES), rapporteur (for the directive) are available here.

Press conference

MEPs Adam Jarubas (public health committee chair), Tiemo Wölken (regulation rapporteur) and Dolors Montserrat (directive rapporteur) will hold a press conference on Thursday 11 December, at 9.30 CET, in Parliament’s Anna Politkovskaya press conference room (SPAAK 0A50) in Brussels.

Accredited journalists can attend the press conference in person, while those wishing to participate actively and ask questions remotely can do so via Interactio. The press conference will be streamed live and be made available on Parliament’s Multimedia Centre.

Next steps

Parliament and Council have concluded an “early second reading agreement” (negotiation took place after Parliament’s first reading was adopted in plenary). The Council is now expected to formally adopt its position, which can then be endorsed by Parliament in second reading.

Background

On 26 April 2023, the Commission put forward a pharmaceutical package to revise the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation. It includes proposals for a new directive and a new regulation, which aim to make medicines more available, accessible and affordable, while supporting the competitiveness and attractiveness of the EU pharmaceutical industry, and raising environmental standards.

Source link

How AI Baby Face Generators Work: The Tech Behind Predictive Imaging Tools

0
How AI Baby Face Generators Work: The Tech Behind Predictive Imaging Tools

Artificial Intelligence has transformed into an everyday reality, with Generative AI reaching into unexpected parts of our lives. Beyond standard creators, the AI baby face generator has captured public imagination.

These apps can instantly show you what a child might look like, all based on images of just two people. It really feels like some kind of digital magic, but actually, it’s just a highly advanced combination of visual tech and serious data science. Tools like an ai baby face generator employ advanced computer vision and complex generative AI face models to merge facial traits and simulate a child’s look. Ultimately, this is high-level AI predictive imaging through computation—not genetics.

What Is an AI Baby Face Generator?

Essentially, an AI baby face generator operates like a sophisticated simulator. It grabs the unique facial structures of two adults and then uses digital interpolation to create a brand new, youthful image.

We need to be perfectly clear from the start: these tools aren’t actually genetic prophets. Because they can’t analyze DNA, they are totally incapable of factoring in the complex, often messy rules of biological inheritance. So, instead of thinking of the baby face AI tool as a true predictor, it’s better to imagine it as an exceptionally skilled digital artist. The resulting image is a high-quality, photorealistic fabrication, an educated guess assembled by a potent generative neural network trained on massive collections of real human faces.

The Core Technologies Behind Baby Face Generation

So, how exactly does the magic happen? Building a convincing composite face requires a really tight, multi-stage workflow powered by machine learning.

The very first item on the agenda for any AI baby generator is to meticulously analyze or “read” the faces provided.

  • Mapping the Face: The system utilizes computer vision facial mapping to accurately mark hundreds of critical facial landmarks, identifying the precise coordinates for features like the iris center or the contour of the jawline.
  • Vector Encoding: Physical traits—including color, texture, and geometry are translated into complex mathematical “vectors.” These vectors condense the vital information of each face, preparing them for fusion within the AI’s processor.

Generative AI Models and Blending

Once the vectors are prepared, they are sent over to the synthesis engine, which constructs the image.

  • The Power of Diffusion Models: While older methods for how AI generates faces sometimes depended on models like GANs, the majority of modern child face generator AI tools now utilize Diffusion Models. These models are much better because they are experts at undoing complexity. They learn how to take an abstract, messy pattern and carefully “denoise” it, step-by-step, until a perfect, photorealistic result emerges.
  • Latent Space Interpolation: When the system generates the child’s face, the AI actually mixes those two input vectors together inside its latent space that’s basically the model’s internal thinking and creation zone. This interpolation ensures the combined features flow together seamlessly, resulting in a natural-looking AI image synthesis.

The Most Common Use Cases

The actual real-world applications of this technology truly highlight its function as a creative, exploratory instrument:

  • Digital Entertainment: This is, quite simply, the biggest draw; it offers a fun, imaginative experience for couples and families.
  • Creative Visualization: Artists use this blending capability to quickly generate unique faces when designing characters.
  • Future-of-Tech Demonstrations: These applications represent one of the most accessible examples of diffusion models AI in use today.

Ethical, Privacy, and Data Considerations

Any application processing personal images requires serious ethical attention. Because users hand over sensitive biometric information to the ai baby face generator, having clear data policies and complete transparency about privacy isn’t just nice to have—it’s absolutely critical.

Beyond that, we absolutely must talk about fairness and bias. If the foundational training data used by the generative AI face models has any kind of skew, the entire system might have trouble producing realistic or accurate results for people in under-represented groups, potentially causing visual errors.

Limitations of AI Baby Generators

Even though the technology is genuinely exciting, we have to make sure we keep our expectations realistic about what these tools can actually do:

  • It’s Not Biology: To be clear, these models simply don’t replicate real-world genetics. The image you see is strictly a visual pattern simulation, based entirely on what the AI has observed, not a DNA-based medical prediction.
  • Dataset Constraints: The quality and diversity of the model’s training material is always the ultimate limiting factor. If the AI hasn’t been exposed to a particular feature combination, the output might default to a statistical mean.
  • Conditionality: The resulting image is simply one highly probable outcome generated by the AI predictive imaging model, demonstrating how conditional this technology remains.

Conclusion

The AI baby face generator perfectly illustrates how machine learning can be applied to both highly creative and personal tasks. By bringing together sophisticated computer vision and advanced generative neural networks, these tools deliver fascinating visual experiences. While they showcase the incredible power of ai image synthesis, they are fundamentally tools for simulation, not prediction. As generative AI face models mature, we can expect even more intricate visualizations.

Source link

Source link

How AI Baby Face Generators Work: The Tech Behind Predictive Imaging Tools

0
How AI Baby Face Generators Work: The Tech Behind Predictive Imaging Tools


Introduction

Artificial Intelligence has transformed into an everyday reality, with Generative AI reaching into unexpected parts of our lives. Beyond standard creators, the AI baby face generator has captured public imagination.

These apps can instantly show you what a child might look like, all based on images of just two people. It really feels like some kind of digital magic, but actually, it’s just a highly advanced combination of visual tech and serious data science. Tools like an ai baby face generator employ advanced computer vision and complex generative AI face models to merge facial traits and simulate a child’s look. Ultimately, this is high-level AI predictive imaging through computation—not genetics.

What Is an AI Baby Face Generator?

Essentially, an AI baby face generator operates like a sophisticated simulator. It grabs the unique facial structures of two adults and then uses digital interpolation to create a brand new, youthful image.

We need to be perfectly clear from the start: these tools aren’t actually genetic prophets. Because they can’t analyze DNA, they are totally incapable of factoring in the complex, often messy rules of biological inheritance. So, instead of thinking of the baby face AI tool as a true predictor, it’s better to imagine it as an exceptionally skilled digital artist. The resulting image is a high-quality, photorealistic fabrication, an educated guess assembled by a potent generative neural network trained on massive collections of real human faces.

The Core Technologies Behind Baby Face Generation

So, how exactly does the magic happen? Building a convincing composite face requires a really tight, multi-stage workflow powered by machine learning.

Facial Feature Extraction

The very first item on the agenda for any AI baby generator is to meticulously analyze or “read” the faces provided.

  • Mapping the Face: The system utilizes computer vision facial mapping to accurately mark hundreds of critical facial landmarks, identifying the precise coordinates for features like the iris center or the contour of the jawline.
  • Vector Encoding: Physical traits—including color, texture, and geometry are translated into complex mathematical “vectors.” These vectors condense the vital information of each face, preparing them for fusion within the AI’s processor.

Generative AI Models and Blending

Once the vectors are prepared, they are sent over to the synthesis engine, which constructs the image.

  • The Power of Diffusion Models: While older methods for how AI generates faces sometimes depended on models like GANs, the majority of modern child face generator AI tools now utilize Diffusion Models. These models are much better because they are experts at undoing complexity. They learn how to take an abstract, messy pattern and carefully “denoise” it, step-by-step, until a perfect, photorealistic result emerges.
  • Latent Space Interpolation: When the system generates the child’s face, the AI actually mixes those two input vectors together inside its latent space that’s basically the model’s internal thinking and creation zone. This interpolation ensures the combined features flow together seamlessly, resulting in a natural-looking AI image synthesis.

The Most Common Use Cases

The actual real-world applications of this technology truly highlight its function as a creative, exploratory instrument:

  • Digital Entertainment: This is, quite simply, the biggest draw; it offers a fun, imaginative experience for couples and families.
  • Creative Visualization: Artists use this blending capability to quickly generate unique faces when designing characters.
  • Future-of-Tech Demonstrations: These applications represent one of the most accessible examples of diffusion models AI in use today.

Ethical, Privacy, and Data Considerations

Any application processing personal images requires serious ethical attention. Because users hand over sensitive biometric information to the ai baby face generator, having clear data policies and complete transparency about privacy isn’t just nice to have—it’s absolutely critical.

Beyond that, we absolutely must talk about fairness and bias. If the foundational training data used by the generative AI face models has any kind of skew, the entire system might have trouble producing realistic or accurate results for people in under-represented groups, potentially causing visual errors.

Limitations of AI Baby Generators

Even though the technology is genuinely exciting, we have to make sure we keep our expectations realistic about what these tools can actually do:

  • It’s Not Biology: To be clear, these models simply don’t replicate real-world genetics. The image you see is strictly a visual pattern simulation, based entirely on what the AI has observed, not a DNA-based medical prediction.
  • Dataset Constraints: The quality and diversity of the model’s training material is always the ultimate limiting factor. If the AI hasn’t been exposed to a particular feature combination, the output might default to a statistical mean.
  • Conditionality: The resulting image is simply one highly probable outcome generated by the AI predictive imaging model, demonstrating how conditional this technology remains.

Conclusion

The AI baby face generator perfectly illustrates how machine learning can be applied to both highly creative and personal tasks. By bringing together sophisticated computer vision and advanced generative neural networks, these tools deliver fascinating visual experiences. While they showcase the incredible power of ai image synthesis, they are fundamentally tools for simulation, not prediction. As generative AI face models mature, we can expect even more intricate visualizations.




Source link

Traditional medicine is now a global reality: WHO

0
Traditional medicine is now a global reality: WHO

This is what Shyama Kuruvilla, director of WHOIt is World Center for Traditional Medicinecreated in 2022 to harness the potential of these systems for health and well-being.

“With half the world’s population lacking access to essential health services, traditional medicine is often the closest or only care available for many people,” Kuruvilla said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday, ahead of this month’s WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine.

“For many others, it is a preferred choice because it is personalized and holistic. It is biocultural and promotes general well-being rather than only treating specific disease symptoms,” she continued.

What is traditional medicine?

According to the WHO, traditional medicine includes practices and knowledge from various historical and cultural contexts, predating biomedicine and traditional medical practices.

Traditional medicine emphasizes natural remedies and holistic, personalized approaches to restoring balance to the mind, body and environment.

Ms Kuruvilla said the global demand for traditional medicine is increasing due to chronic illnesses, mental health needs, stress management and meaningful care-seeking.

However, despite widespread use and demand, less than 1 percent of global health research funding currently supports it, she added.

What will happen at the Summit?

The Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine will take place December 17-19 and will bring together policymakers, practitioners, scientists and indigenous leaders from around the world.

It will be held in New Delhi, India, and online.

Participants will discuss how to implement the WHO global strategy on traditional medicine until 2034which aims to advance the traditional, complementary and integrative medicine and provides advice on regulation and multi-stakeholder collaboration.

“The World Summit aims to foster the conditions and collaborations necessary for traditional medicine to contribute on a large scale to the development of all people and our planet,” concluded Ms. Kuruvilla.

Simultaneously, WHO is launching a Global Library of Traditional Medicine – the first digital platform of its kind with more than 1.6 million scientific documents on the subject, a data network on traditional medicine and a framework on indigenous knowledge, biodiversity and health, among other initiatives.

Originally published at Almouwatin.com

Peace proves relative in Gaza with no let-up in deadly airstrikes

0
Peace proves relative in Gaza with no let-up in deadly airstrikes

The Security Council resolution is very clear about not calling anything a border or anything else, it is about a territory that needs to be respected in its entirety,” he said, referencing a resolution adopted by the Council on 17 November in support of a comprehensive plan to end the conflict.

“We call on all parties to respect the ceasefire and to ensure that we can indeed move to the next phase [of the peace plan],” the High Commissioner told journalists in Geneva. Gaza “remains a place of unimaginable suffering, loss and fear. While the bloodshed has reduced, it has not stopped,” he insisted.

Resolution 2803 (2025) received 13 votes in favour and none against, with permanent members China and Russia abstaining.

The text welcomed the Comprehensive Plan announced by President Trump on 29 September. The first phase of the 20-point plan led to the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel days later.

Shifting ‘Yellow Line’

Most of the violence in the past week has been reported near the “Yellow Line” whose large painted concrete blocks have shifted in the past week, prompting “new waves” of displacement, according to the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA.

In a scheduled update, the agency cited data from the Gazan health authorities indicating that 360 Palestinians have been killed and 922 injured since the fragile ceasefire agreement came into effect in late October. An additional 617 bodies have been retrieved from under the rubble since then, too.

Echoing those concerns, Mr. Türk said that his Office had documented more than 350 attacks since the ceasefire began. The dead included seven women and 13 children.

“Attacks by Israel continue, including on individuals approaching the so-called Yellow Line, residential buildings and [internally displaced persons] IDP tents and shelters, as well as other civilian objects,” he told reporters.

In addition to the humanitarian emergency still unfolding in Gaza, the High Commissioner stressed how generalized psychological trauma affecting the enclave’s people is “the most serious mental health crisis that one can imagine…Basically everyone is traumatised and especially children.”

Meanwhile, at a press conference marking Human Rights Day, Mr. Türk also expressed deep concern at “unprecedented levels of attack by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinians” and their land in the occupied West Bank.

“This is a time to intensify pressure and advocacy – not to sink into complacency”, he insisted.

A world of trouble

Turning to the long-running emergency in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the High Commissioner expressed deep concern at overnight reports of thousands fleeing the South Kivu city of Uvira, amid clashes between M23 rebel fighters and DRC armed forces, backed by Wazalendo militia.

“This comes just days after the DRC and Rwanda reaffirmed their commitment to implement the June 2025 Washington Peace Agreement,” Mr. Türk said, warning that the risk of a broader regional confrontation was increasing.

The High Commissioner also issued a stark warning that war crimes and potential crimes against humanity may be happening in Sudan, where the war shows no signs of letting up.

The emergency erupted in April 2023 when a transition to civilian rule broke down and today the Sudanese Armed Forces continues to clash with paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Recently, the RSF overran the city of El Fasher after laying siege to it for 18 months, leading to widespread reports of grave rights abuses.

“From Darfur and the Kordofans to Khartoum and Omdurman and beyond, no Sudanese civilian has been left untouched by the cruel and senseless violence,” Mr. Türk said. “We are talking about thousands of people that have been killed. There were summary executions, there were people who were trying to leave us for sure, who were killed when they tried to leave…There were witness statements about rape and gang rape, including in front of family members…So yes, we are talking about very serious atrocity crimes. War crimes for sure. Potentially also crimes against humanity.”

Ukraine appeal

In Ukraine, the High Commissioner noted that civilian harm has risen sharply. Civilian casualties so far this year are 24 per cent higher than the same period last year, he said, largely owing to Russia’s increased use of powerful long-range weapons in large numbers and its continuing efforts “to capture further Ukrainian territory by armed force”.

Urgent steps need to be taken to alleviate suffering, Mr. Türk continued “including the return of transferred children [allegedly taken to Russia], the exchange of all prisoners of war, and the unconditional release of civilian detainees held by Russian authorities”.

War on drugs

Asked to comment on deadly strikes by the US military on alleged drug-smuggler boats in the Caribbean, the High Commissioner reiterated his position that these represented a violation of international law and human rights law and required “prompt, independent investigations”.

Reports indicate that more than 80 people have been killed in more than 20 attacks since September. On 2 September, two survivors of an initial strike were allegedly killed in a second attack.

Mr. Türk noted that as US lawmakers continue to call for further information about these strikes, “I hope that they will lead to a prompt, serious investigation that is independent so that we can get to the bottom of what has happened there.”

Source link