WHO places Asia director on leave after accusations of bullying
GENEVA — A senior World Health Organization director has been placed on leave, a spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday, following staff accusations of bullying and other complaints.
“The Regional Director for the Western Pacific Region, Dr Takeshi Kasai, is on leave,” a WHO official said in emailed comments, without giving details.
Two WHO sources confirmed to Reuters that the decision to place Kasai, a physician from Japan who has worked at the body for more than 15 years, on administrative leave was related to an ongoing investigation into various staff complaints.
Kasai was not immediately available for comment. An e-mail sent to the WHO Western Pacific office in Manila was forwarded to the headquarters in Geneva.
The Associated Press reported in January that the complaints included allegations of racist language and of sharing confidential vaccine data with Japan.
Kasai, who became the WHO regional director in February 2019, has previously acknowledged being “hard on staff” but rejected the other charges.
He is temporarily being replaced by the UN health agency’s number 2, Zsuzsanna Jakab, the WHO official added. — Reuters
Sharks frequent waters near crowded urban beaches
Beachgoers in some urban areas are probably swimming near sharks without realizing it, according to a University of Miami study that tracked their movements off the southern Florida coast.
As part of the study, three different species of shark – bull, nurse, and great hammerhead – were tagged with small transmitters and their movements monitored for several years.
The researchers had expected sharks to stay clear of crowded areas like large land animals tend to do, but instead found them spending a significant amount of time in waters where people like to take a dip.
“Although this might make you a bit nervous, to me it just proves the point that sharks really don’t want to bite people, and that, in fact, sharks really tolerate people and tend to avoid them,” said Neil Hammerschlag, director of the University of Miami’s Shark Research & Conservation Program.
Hammerschlag advises beachgoers to avoid swimming during periods of low visibility and in areas where people are fishing, but says the study is more concerning for sharks given they face threats from fishermen and polluted shorelines.
“I would say this news is probably worse for the sharks than it is for us humans,” he said. — Reuters
UNESCO supports Ukraine bid to put Odesa on World Heritage list
PARIS — United Nations cultural agency UNESCO said on Tuesday it supported a bid by Ukraine to put its port city of Odesa on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Following a meeting of Ukraine Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay at the agency’s Paris headquarters, UNESCO said it had mobilized experts to support Ukraine so that the nomination can be examined urgently by World Heritage Committee member states.
UNESCO said it also wants to add Odesa on the List of World Heritage in Danger, as well as World Heritage sites Kyiv and Lviv, which are also under threat.
Black Sea port Odessa is just a few dozen kilometers from the frontline and has already been struck by artillery fire, UNESCO said. Last month, part of the large glass roof and windows of Odesa’s Museum of Fine Arts, inaugurated in 1899, were destroyed.
UNESCO will fund repairs to the museum as well as to the Odesa Museum of Modern Art since the beginning of the war and finance the hiring of additional staff dedicated to the protection of collections. It will also help with the digitization of artworks and will provide protective equipment. — Reuters
Finland detects small amount of radioactivity, says no health impact
OSLO — Small amounts of radioactive isotopes have been detected in air samples collected in Kotka in south-east Finland, but there is no risk to humans and similar discoveries are “quite normal,” the country’s nuclear safety watchdog said on Wednesday.
“The observed radioactivity has no impact on the environment or human health, as the concentrations were very low,” the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) said in a statement.
Finland, Sweden, Russia and the wider region have a number of nuclear power reactors.
“Small amounts of zirconium and niobium can escape into the air, for example, from the fuel of a nuclear power plant during plant maintenance,” STUK said.
During the collection of the sample, air currents were flowing to Kotka from the east and southeast, but the source of the radiation was unknown, it added.
STUK did not plan to investigate further as such discoveries are “quite normal,” a spokesperson for the agency said. — Reuters
British rail staff plan nationwide strike next month
LONDON — British rail staff are planning a nationwide 24-hour strike beginning on Sept. 26 over pay, job security and conditions, a union said on Wednesday, the latest in a wave of industrial unrest as inflation outpaces pay rises.
The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) said it was pushing for a revised pay deal for staff at train operating companies after rejecting an “insulting” 2% offer.
The union is still in talks about a possible settlement with Network Rail, the public sector company that owns and operates most of Britain’s railway tracks and infrastructure.
“I welcome the fact that negotiations are ongoing with Network Rail and the gap towards a resolution is narrowing. Time will tell whether a deal can be done to avert our next strike,” TSSA union leader Manuel Cortes said.
The strike action will coincide with the annual conference of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, to be held in Liverpool, the TSSA said.
Inflation in Britain topped 10% in July, with forecasts projecting further increases that could worsen a cost-of-living crisis, spurred mainly by soaring energy bills. — Reuters
