News headlines in September 2023, page 5

PARAÍSO, México, Sep 26 (IPS) - At the entrance to the municipality of Paraíso, in the southeastern Mexican state of Tabasco, there is a traffic circle that displays three things that are emblematic of the area: crabs, pelicans and mangroves.

PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN, Sep 26 (IPS) - “We are under extreme stress about skyrocketing prices of essential edible commodities and the cost of gas and electricity. The situation is becoming worse because every day. We must pay more for wheat flour, sugar, tea, milk, oil, etc.,” Azizullah Khan, a civil servant, says.

ROME, Sep 26 (IPS) - On September 19, the sound of bombs reminded the world of a long-forgotten conflict. In the Caucasus, the Azerbaijan’s army was launching a massive attack against a small enclave, Nagorno-Karabakh.

KATHMANDU, Sep 26 (IPS) - After heavy rains caused a flash flooding in the high mountains in the trans-Himalayan Mustang district of Nepal, residents and scientists have called for additional research and risk reduction measures in a region now considered vulnerable to climate-change-related disasters.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Sep 26 (IPS) - Maryam al-Khawaja’s journey home ended before it had begun: British Airways staff stopped her boarding her flight at the request of Bahraini immigration authorities. Maryam was no regular passenger: her father is veteran human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, in jail in Bahrain for 12 years and counting.

NEW YORK, Sep 26 (IPS) - The world is now half way to 2030 but the ambitious goals agreed in 2015 including the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are under threat, action is urgently needed.

The health of our planet, its people, institutions, and the global economy are at serious risk, and such deep challenges cannot be tackled in isolation, Robert Rae, Ambassador of Canada to the United Nations, told the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate on Tuesday.

The “west-led irrational structure” of the UN Security Council must be reformed to prevent the “high-handedness and arbitrariness” of forces within the body, including the United States, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) told the General Assembly on Tuesday.

The General Assembly’s annual debate concluded on Tuesday, with global leaders stating that while the United Nations faces institutional challenges, it remains the paramount platform for crafting collective solutions to humanity’s challenges.

In remarks on Tuesday to the UN General Assembly, Syrian Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Bassam Sabbagh underscored the need to build a multipolar world order that achieves sustainable development for all and balance in international relations, including through reforming institutions such as the Security Council.