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photo : UNHCR

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged the international community to make greater efforts to reduce the deadly risks for displaced people posed by landmines and improvised explosive devices in Africa’s Sahel and Lake Chad basin regions, which have been the site of ongoing conflicts, according to a press release issued on Tuesday. According to the UN agency, mines, unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices that numerous anti-government and non-state armed groups widely use to target security forces are killing and injuring an increasing number of civilians. Among the most affected countries in this regard are Sahel's Chad and Nigeria, the agency added. In a recent incident, four refugee minors were killed and three others injured in a refugee camp in eastern Chad after picking up an unexploded device and trying to open it. Since the beginning of 2020, more than 15 of such incidents have been reported. According to the UN agency, the region is currently facing one of the fastest growing displacement crises in the world, with a million people having fled attacks by armed groups against civilians and state institutions, including schools and health facilities. The agency added that the presence of explosive devices is also affecting the delivery of humanitarian aid and development activities//sputnik

photo : the guardian

The spread of the novel coronavirus does not appear to be impacted by seasonality, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, warning against false beliefs that summer is safer. WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters in a virtual briefing, that some of the hardest-hit countries are currently in the midst of different season. While it is summer in the United States, which with nearly 148,000 deaths and close to 4.3 million cases is the hardest-hit country, the second most affected country Brazil, which counts more than 87,000 deaths, is in winter. This is because people are mistakenly viewing the pandemic through a flu lense, because that is the way the flu behaves. Instead of expecting the virus to behave like other viruses that are more familiar, she said people should look at what is actually known about how to stop transmission of COVID-19. What works, the spokeswoman further said, is physical distancing, hand washing, wearing a mask where appropriate, always covering up sneezes and coughs, staying home when experiencing symptoms, the isolation of cases and quarantining of contacts//JP

photo : the sun

UK Prime minister, Boris Johnson has warned there are signs of a "second wave" of coronavirus in Europe, as he defended a 14-day quarantine on travellers from Spain. The PM said the government had to be "swift" - and hinted at further action against other countries if necessary. The UK Foreign Office is advising against all non-essential travel to Spain including to the Balearic and Canary Islands. Spain has seen a recent rise in the number of Covid-19 infections in some areas, with 47 cases per 100,000 people over the last two weeks. The UK by comparison has 15 cases per 100,000. France has similar levels of disease, while Germany has fewer than 9 cases per 100,000 people. In the worst-hit parts of Spain, partial lockdowns are being reinstated. In the capital Madrid the authorities have announced the compulsory wearing of face masks. The impact of the latest restrictions on travel to and from Spain has led to calls for coronavirus testing for people arriving in the UK, instead of quarantine. The government says it's looking at a range of options. There are signs of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in parts of Europe according to Boris Johnson, who's been defending his government's handling of the crisis and the sudden imposition of quarantine on travellers from every part of Spain. Speaking during a visit to Nottinghamshire, PM Johnson said that the signs of second wave of covid 19 in Europe begins to show.

"Let's be absolutely clear about what's happening in Europe, amongst some of our European friends, I'm afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic. And we all remember what happen last time its absolutely vital therefore we make the necessary preparation here in the UK" Prime Minister said. 

The UK government decision to impose a 14-day quarantine on everyone arriving from Spain was "unjust", the country's prime minister has said. Pedro Sánchez said tourists in most Spanish regions would be safer from coronavirus than in the UK, and he was hoping Britain would rethink its move.

"Take the cannary island, the balearic, the regions of Valencia, Andalucia where there is I empashize a lower prevelence of the virus then in the UK" Prime minister Sanchez said

Meanwhile,Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon echoed UK PM Johnson's concerns, saying that they are currently seeing a worrying resurgence of Covid in European countries. She warned potential travellers not to assume quarantine measures would remain the same at the time of booking a holiday as when they returned.

"If you are in a position to have a holiday or want to take a holiday, the safest way of doing so is to stay here in Scotland. So you avoid the risk of foreign travel but you also an adding bonus helping the Scottish tourism industry as well" Prime Minister Sturgeon said. 

The Department of Health said there had been a handful of suspected cases this month where a person had tested positive for the coronavirus after returning to the UK from Spain. But it added these were not a factor in evidence presented to ministers and that the decision to reintroduce a quarantine for arrivals from Spain was taken because of rising infection rates there//NK/BBC

photo : ctvnews

Muslim pilgrims have started arriving in Mecca for a drastically scaled-down hajj, as Saudi authorities balance the kingdom’s oversight of one of Islam’s key pillars and the safety of visitors in the face of a global pandemic. As quoted by APNews.com Monday ( 27/7) the hajj, which begins on Wednesday, normally draws around 2.5 million people for five intense days of worship in one of the world’s largest gatherings of people from around the world. This year, Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Ministry has said between 1,000 and 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will be allowed to perform the pilgrimage. Two-thirds of those pilgrims will be from among foreign residents in Saudi Arabia and one-third will be Saudi citizens//AP