Nicaragua: Türk deplores the repression of civil and political liberties
The High Commissioner for Human Rights , Volker Türk, deplored on Wednesday the new measures that restrict civil and political freedoms in Nicaragua.
This was announced by their spokesperson, Marta Hurtado.
“ We deplore a number of recent developments in Nicaragua that hinder the full exercise of the population’s civil and political rights, including threats to bar those with dissenting political views from participating in elections. Civic space is virtually closed. Independent expression of ideas and opinions is systematically repressed. We understand that at least 46 people remain arbitrarily detained for political reasons. We urge the authorities to immediately release all those arbitrarily detained and to ensure that all those deprived of their liberty are treated with humanity and dignity. We call upon the authorities to reopen civic space and restore the rule of law.”
In addition, the High Commissioner expressed concern about reports of repression against the Catholic Church and other religious denominations, and requested information on the whereabouts of Bishop Abelardo Mata Guevara, who was arrested at the end of June.
Guterres calls for natural resources to become engines of peace, not conflict.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Security Council on Wednesday that the illegal exploitation of natural resources continues to fuel armed conflicts, strengthen criminal groups, and exacerbate humanitarian crises in various regions of the world.
During a debate on natural resource governance, Guterres noted that strategic minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements represent an opportunity for development, but warned that they are also intensifying geopolitical competition and violence.
He cited as an example eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, where illegal mining of minerals and gold finances armed groups.
The UN chief called for ensuring that producing countries and local communities are the main beneficiaries of their resources and for strengthening transparency in supply chains.
“It is time to break with the old pattern whereby resources are extracted, value is captured elsewhere, and impoverished communities are left behind to cope with the environmental and socioeconomic damage. And it is time to close the gap between a state’s recognized sovereignty over its natural resources and its sovereign rights in practice. Nowhere is this sovereignty deficit more pronounced than in Africa , where the lingering consequences of colonialism, coupled with governance challenges, put states at a significant disadvantage when trying to capture or reinvest the value of their natural resources.”
Guterres concluded that transforming the management of natural resources is an essential political decision to reduce inequality, strengthen institutions and move towards lasting peace.
Two out of every five people in America live with a neurological disorder
The Pan American Health Organization ( PAHO ) warned that nearly 470 million people , or two out of every five inhabitants of the Americas, live with at least one neurological disorder, such as migraine, stroke, epilepsy, or Alzheimer's disease.
A study published in the regional edition of The Lancet reveals that, although deaths from these diseases have declined since 1990, more and more people are surviving and living for years with disability. In 2023 alone, these disorders caused 1,1 million deaths and were one of the leading causes of disability in Europe.
The PAHO notes that the aging population is driving an increase in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, while migraine remains the leading cause of disability among neurological disorders.
The organization also emphasizes that a significant portion of these cases could be prevented by controlling risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking, and environmental pollution.
Given this scenario, it urges strengthening prevention, expanding rehabilitation services, and ensuring long-term care to meet a demand that will continue to grow.