News headlines in April 2022, page 8

URBANA, Illinois, Apr 22 (IPS) - Around the world, Earth Day 2022 is being celebrated.  The theme this year is “Invest in Our Planet”. To mark the day, activities such as planting trees, protests, marches, cleaning up litter, and conferences will be held to highlight the importance of investing and taking care of our planet.

The UN chief announced on Friday that he will be traveling to Russia to meet with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and will also be received by President Vladimir Putin.

Marking International Mother Earth Day, UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid urged on Friday, for collective action to safeguard biodiversity and protect ecosystems.

MADRID, Apr 22 (IPS) - Part I of this two-part series focused on the cases of the United Kingdom and Greece. This article will deal with how Hungary has been criminalising organisations that provide humanitarian assistance to migrants, and how Poland 'arbitrarily’ detains thousands of asylum seekers.

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday called for a probe into Israel’s response to the escalating violence surrounding the Al Asqa Mosque compound in Jerusalem. 

PHILADELPHIA, Apr 22 (IPS) - The Karnataka court’s verdict to uphold the hijab ban has intensified the protest in the state. The row has been typically perceived by many as manufactured by the politicians pointing to the culture of politics in the state. While the jury is still out there on this, evidence on how state’s local culture constructs and deconstructs religious identity allows drawing conclusions with some definitiveness. The culture of state’s politics is one side of the coin. Considering its flip side – politics of culture, particularly of the religious cultural identity, is just as relevant.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 22 (IPS) - The five permanent members (P5) of the UN Security Council (UNSC) – UK, US, France, China and Russia – have exercised their veto powers primarily to protect their own national interests or the interests of their close political and military allies.

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Friday condemned the “horrors” committed against civilians in Ukraine as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that it feared the worst in devastated areas of the country's east and south. 

BUENOS AIRES, Apr 21 (IPS) - The space consists of just 300 square meters full of green where there is an agro-ecological vegetable garden and nursery, which are the work and dream of 14 women. Behind it can be seen the imposing silhouettes of the high rises that are a symbol of the most modern and sought-after part of Argentina's capital city.

International Mother Earth Day is a chance to reflect on how humanity has been treating our planet, and let’s face it: we’ve been poor custodians. And while a steady stream of reports has painted a legitimately worrying picture of the current state of the planet, don’t lose hope: there are more innovative ideas for serious climate action than ever and more and more people around the world are working together on solutions to help repair the damage that’s been done to our fragile home.