News headlines
India Bangladesh Relations on the Edge?
- Inter Press Service
NEW DELHI, India, Dec 10 (IPS) - Even as India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri reached Bangladesh amid strain in ties over attacks on Hindu minorities, he carried with him a bag of complaints: it sure was not a good will mission. It was one where India has focused on its discomfort, rather anger, over the persecution of Hindus under the new regime in Bangladesh.
This Year Saw Most of the World Repressed but in Civil Society there is Hope
- Inter Press Service
NEW YORK, Dec 10 (IPS) - Today is International Human Rights DayNormally, it should be an occasion to celebrate the work of those who strive to create peaceful, just, equal and sustainable societies. But conditions for human rights defenders and their organisations to operate freely are extremely challenging around the world.
No State Is Truly Independent if It Suffers Significant Injury Without ConsequencePalau
- Inter Press Service
THE HAGUE & NAIROBI, Dec 10 (IPS) - After many decades of colonial rule, Palau was the last country to emerge from the UN Trusteeship. Palau celebrated 30 years of independence in October 2024 “and takes seriously the rights and responsibilities of independence. Independence should mean that Palau is free to build its own future and be responsible for the security, safety, and well-being of its own people,” said Gustav N. Aitaro, the Minister of State of the Republic of Palau at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Central American Countries Backtrack on Metal Mining Ban
- Inter Press Service
SAN SALVADOR, Dec 10 (IPS) - Metal mining has a renewed momentum in Central America, encouraged by populist rulers who, in order to soften environmental damage, claim they can develop it in harmony with nature, which is hard to believe
Israel-Gaza War: Deaths, Injuries and Destruction with No Plan for Peace
- Inter Press Service
PORTLAND, USA, Dec 10 (IPS) - After the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, the Israel retaliated with a war in Gaza involving bombingsshootings and blockades but with no explicit plan for achieving peace with the Palestinians.
Protect the Rights and Future of Youth, Right Now, From Addiction and Harm
- Inter Press Service
NEW YORK, Dec 10 (IPS) - As the world commemorates UN Human Rights Day December 10, with the theme, “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now,” it’s time to ask: Are we truly listening to what the youth envision for their present and future?
Pacific Community Calls Out Urgency of Climate Loss and Damage Finance for Frontline Island Nations
- Inter Press Service
SYDNEY, Dec 10 (IPS) - Advancing development of the new Climate Loss and Damage Fund was a key call by Pacific Island nations at the COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference being held in Azerbaijan in November. For Pacific Island Countries and Territories, the fund represents a critical step towards addressing what they consider a gross climate injustice: despite contributing less than 0.03 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, they bear the brunt of climate change's devastating impacts.
For the Human Race, Ignoring the Climate Emergency Is No Longer an Option'
- Inter Press Service
THE HAGUE, Dec 10 (IPS) - If lives and livelihoods are to be protected, if we want to avoid utter catastrophe, there simply is no time to lose. As has often been said, we are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change, and undoubtedly, we are the last generation that can do something about it.—Mansoor Usman Awan, Attorney General of PakistanAt the International Court of Justice (ICJ), no matter if the country had high Himalayas, was a small island nation or was experiencing armed conflict, they all agreed that the due diligence principle and the obligation of states to prevent harm caused by climate change, especially for high greenhouse gas emitters, were non-negotiable.
Birth registration increases, but 150 million children still ‘invisible’
- UN News
A new report from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveals significant progress in ending the problem of the “invisible” millions of babies each year who go unregistered. Nearly eight in 10 children under five were successfully registered at birth in the last five years.
World News in Brief: Arrivals surge in South Sudan, the rise of digital media, Haiti crisis update
- UN News
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has issued an alert after a surge in the number of displaced people fleeing war-torn Sudan for neighbouring South Sudan.