Veteran and author Jack Carr on finding ‘mission and passion’ for life changes

Southeast Asia: Torture rooms and karaoke bars in gang-run ‘scam farms’

Southeast Asia: Torture rooms and karaoke bars in gang-run ‘scam farms’

There are estimated to be some 400 of these criminal enterprises in the Philippines alone. They are almost always operated clandestinely and illegally alongside licensed and legal online gaming operations. The proliferation of online scam farms targeting victims across the world is a relatively new phenomenon that exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Philippines Presidential … Read more

Over 22,500 have suffered ‘life-changing injuries’ in Gaza: WHO

Over 22,500 have suffered ‘life-changing injuries’ in Gaza: WHO

These include severe limb injuries, amputations, spinal cord trauma, traumatic brain injuries and major burns. Israeli forces pushed into Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 terror attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in southern Israel. Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, highlighted that the surge in rehabilitation … Read more

Congo virus claims another life in Quetta

Congo virus claims another life in Quetta

A 16-year-old patient suffering from the Congo virus has died at Fatima Jinnah Hospital in Quetta. According to sources, the patient was admitted to the hospital in critical condition and received intensive treatment, but succumbed to the illness. This latest case raises the total number of Congo virus deaths in the province to nine this … Read more

Syphilis outbreak declared in Labrador-Grenfell region

Syphilis outbreak declared in Labrador-Grenfell region

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that is caused by bacteria. Health officials are responding to a sudden spike in the Labrador-Grenfell region of N.L. Health Services. (CBC News/NIAID) More cases of the sexually transmitted disease syphilis have been contracted in the area covering Labrador and parts of northern Newfoundland so far this year than … Read more

121-year-old postcard from brother to sister reunites lost family

121-year-old postcard from brother to sister reunites lost family

A collection of postcards lying with a person writing something on one of the cards. — AFP/File A woman, Helen Roberts, in Swansea, UK has met long-lost relatives for the first time in her life after a 121-year-old postcard was finally delivered to an address earlier this month. The postcard arrived at the Swansea Building … Read more

Health experts fear Pakistan polio cases may hit 55-65 by year end

Health experts fear Pakistan polio cases may hit 55-65 by year end

A girl receives polio vaccine drops, during an anti-polio campaign, in a low-income neighborhood in Karachi on July 20, 2020. — Reuters  Immunity gaps critical obstacle to eradication efforts, experts say. Polio vaccine refusal surged in areas like Pesahwar, parts of Karachi. Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar called core reservoirs of polio transmission.  ISLAMABAD: A report by … Read more

KP reports another mpox case as tally reaches 6 in Pakistan

KP reports another mpox case as tally reaches 6 in Pakistan

A test tube labelled “Mpox virus positive” is held in this illustration taken August 20, 2024. — Reuters PESHAWAR: Another case of the mpox, also known as monkeypox, was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), pushing the tally of the virus to six in Pakistan, provincial Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah said on Wednesday. Notably, … Read more

Crushing the scam farms: Southeast Asia’s ‘criminal service providers’

Crushing the scam farms: Southeast Asia’s ‘criminal service providers’

As we reported earlier in the week, there has been a proliferation of illicit operations, known as scam farms, following the COVID-19 pandemic, across Southeast Asia – including in the Philippines – where they have often operated alongside legal gambling businesses. UNODC is supporting countries across the region to cooperate more closely to fight back … Read more