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GENEVA, Oct 28 (NNN-TASS) — The number of coronavirus cases worldwide increased by more than 2.8 million in the past week, the biggest number for a seven-day period ever recorded, the World Health Organization said.

As of Oct 25, the global organization was been informed about more than 42 million cases worldwide and over 1.1 million deaths. Over 2.8 million new cases and over 40,000 new deaths were registered in the past week, the WHO said.

GENEVA, Oct 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization chief warned that abandoning efforts to control the coronavirus pandemic, as suggested by a top US official, was “dangerous”, urging countries not to “give up”.

“We must not give up,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing.

He acknowledged that after months of battling the new coronavirus, which has claimed more than 1.1 million lives globally, a certain level of “pandemic fatigue” had set in.

“It’s tough and the fatigue is real,” Tedros said.

GENEVA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on Tuesday said global foreign direct investment (FDI) dropped by nearly half in the first six months of the year, with the biggest declines in Europe and the United States, warning of a highly uncertain outlook depending on the duration of the pandemic and the effectiveness of policy interventions.

24 Oct 2020; MEMO: Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has called on the UAE to cancel the plans to set up an investment fund that will enable the “modernisation” of illegal Israeli-operated checkpoints for Palestinians.

“The UAE government should refrain from and immediately halt any deals with Israel that may contribute to or embolden human rights violations against the Palestinians,” the rights group said.

GENEVA (AP) — The rival sides in Libya’s conflict signed a permanent cease-fire Friday, a deal the United Nations billed as historic after years of fighting that has split the North African country in two. But skepticism over whether the agreement would hold began emerging almost immediately.

The breakthrough, which among other things orders foreign mercenaries out of the country, sets the stage for political talks in November to find a lasting solution to the chaos unleashed after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

GENEVA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- A United Nations report on Wednesday forecast a 7 percent to 9 percent year-on-year drop in the value of global trade in 2020, despite signs of a weak rebound in the third quarter led by a recovery in China.

GENEVA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- A total of 184 countries and economies have now joined COVAX, an international initiative co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners to ensure effective and equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, the WHO chief announced on Monday.

"COVAX represents the largest portfolio of potential COVID-19 vaccines and the most effective way to share safe and effective vaccines equitably across the world," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a virtual press conference.

GENEVA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- A total of 392,471 new COVID-19 infections were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday, a record high since the onset of the pandemic, taking the total number of confirmed cases worldwide to 39,196,259.

According to a tally kept by the WHO, the United States had the most daily infections on Saturday, with 63,044 new cases reported. As of Saturday, the country has registered 7,896,895 total confirmed cases, the highest worldwide.

United Nations, Oct 14 (AP/PTI) China, Russia and Cuba won seats on the UN's premiere human rights body Tuesday despite opposition from activist groups over their abysmal human rights records, but another target, Saudi Arabia, lost.

Russia and Cuba were running unopposed, but China and Saudi Arabia were in a five-way race in the only contested race for seats on the Human Rights Council.

GENEVA (AP) — In the wake of heat waves, global warming, forest fires, storms, droughts and a rising number of hurricanes, the U.N. weather agency is warning that the number of people who need international humanitarian help could rise 50% by 2030 compared to the 108 million who needed it worldwide in 2018.