News headlines in June 2024, page 2

On Friday, at the UN Human Rights Council's (OHCHR) first panel for the annual full-day discussion on women's rights, The UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Friday told a Human Rights Council panel that it’s time to eliminate laws and practices that contribute to “economic violence” against women and girls.

With just six years remaining to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global progress is alarmingly insufficient, with a mere 17 per cent of the targets currently on track, according to a new UN report released on Friday.

Over and above the difficulty of actually getting into Gaza, aid teams now face the crushing realization that with a shortage of fuel and dwindling supplies, there is a limit to what they can do to help all those in need, UN aid worker Louise Wateridge told UN News on Friday.

CARACAS, Jun 27 (IPS) - A global agreement could levy a small tax on the world's 3,000 richest people, with fortunes in excess of US$ 1 billion, and use the money to fight world hunger, a study by the Brazilian government and the European Union's Tax Observatory has shown.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Jun 27 (IPS) - At the height of 2024 Pride season, decades of civil society campaigning came to fruition in Thailand. With 130 votes for and only four against, on 18 June the Senate passed the Marriage Equality Bill. With a few strokes of the pen, the bill tweaked the language of the Civil and Commercial Code, replacing gendered references such as ‘man’ and ‘woman’ with gender-neutral ones such as ‘persons’ and ‘spouses’. It now goes for formal assent to King Maha Vajiralongkorn and will take effect 120 days after publication in the official bulletin.

NAIROBI, Jun 27 (IPS) - In a historic first, Kenya's youth have mobilized in large-scale protests to demand that the political establishment listen to them. The Finance Bill 2024, which proposed new taxes across several sectors, was the catalyst for the protests, igniting outrage among a youth demographic that feels betrayed by decades of political promises. These protests, driven by economic and social grievances, escalated dramatically, culminating in clashes with police that led to numerous deaths and widespread unrest.

WASHINGTON DC, Jun 27 (IPS) - The Dominican Republic leads Latin America in GDP growth, with an average annual rate of around 5 percent per year since the 1970s. The Caribbean nation has made great strides in reducing poverty and improving living standards.

Delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza remains a difficult and frustrating task for UN and partner agencies as the conflict there grinds on amid intense civilian suffering.

The UN Security Council on Thursday demanded that Houthi rebels in Yemen immediately cease all attacks against merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Victims of people-trafficking need more countries to respect international law and protect them, but thousands continue to die along land and sea routes every year, a top independent human rights expert said on Thursday.