News headlines in March 2023, page 15

Russian forces in Ukraine faced fresh accusations of war crimes on Thursday as UN-appointed independent human rights investigators released the latest findings of their ongoing probe.

Routed through new hubs and expanded criminal networks, cocaine trafficking has made a dramatic comeback following an initial slowdown caused by the emergence of COVID-19, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said on Thursday in a hard-hitting new report.

LONDON, Mar 15 (IPS) - Last October, Ales Bialiatski was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was one of three winners, alongside two human rights organisations: Memorial, in Russia, and the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine. The Nobel Committee recognised the three’s ‘outstanding effort to document war crimes, human rights abuses and the abuse of power’.

PRETORIA, South Africa, Mar 15 (IPS) - In contrast to its strategic role as an essential resource to help achieve community development and poverty alleviation globally, groundwater has remained a poorly understood and managed resource.

NEW YORK, Mar 15 (IPS) - On 29 and 30 March, the US government, in partnership with Costa Rica, Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia, will co-host the second virtual Summit for Democracy. Several elected leaders and state representatives will come together to highlight achievements in advancing democratic principles.

With the holy month of Ramadan fast approaching, warring parties in Yemen must build on relative calm across the country and the April 2022 truce – which is largely holding, despite its official lapse in October – to negotiate a nationwide ceasefire and address the dire humanitarian needs there, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Wednesday.

More than 100,000 people have been displaced, and dozens killed, following a string of armed group attacks in North Kivu province in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN reported on Wednesday. 

Officials in many countries “vilify and target” human rights defenders instead of recognizing the crucial work they do to help build fairer societies, a UN-appointed independent expert said on Wednesday.

The UN and partners are ramping up support to Malawi in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which killed 190 people this week and injured dozens more, prompting the Government to declare a state of disaster. 

Three senior UN officials underscored the need for a political solution to end the war in Syria, in statements marking the 12th anniversary of the conflict on Wednesday.