News headlines in January 2025, page 4

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed highlighted on Tuesday the critical need for collaborative and urgent action to achieve the ambitious goal of bringing electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.

Four years after the military coup which plunged Myanmar into turmoil, the country is facing an unprecedented “polycrisis,” marked by economic collapse, intensifying conflict, complex climate hazards and deepening poverty, according to a new report by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

UNAIDS has welcomed Wednesday’s emergency waiver from the United States Secretary of State that will allow the continuation of life-saving HIV treatment funded by the US across 55 countries worldwide.

As UN agencies reported “relative calm” on Wednesday in the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), humanitarians warned that the chaos caused by advancing M23 rebel forces could fuel a region-wide health emergency.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 28 (IPS) - The United Nations (UN) held the annual Holocaust Memorial Ceremony on January 27 with the theme "Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights". This year - 2025 - marks the 80 year anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of Nazi concentration camps that resulted in the deaths of over 6 million Jews. This event included testimonies from Holocaust survivors, underscoring the importance of understanding and remembrance. With Holocaust denial and attacks on Jews on the rise, it is important to take meaningful steps as a society to combat racism and antisemitism.

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 28 (IPS) - As Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus emerged from a meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF), Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta came forward to greet him, a demonstration of how warmly the global leaders and dignitaries received the person tasked with leading the interim government.

LUANDA, Angola, Jan 28 (IPS) - Access to energy is essential for sustainable development, but for many rural communities, it’s still out of reach. In Angola, according to the 2019-2020 agricultural census, most rural villages lack access to electricity.

The UN Security Council convened its second emergency meeting in three days on Tuesday to address the escalating crisis in Goma – the regional capital of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

At least one girl and three boys were killed, and three boys injured, during an attack on the Saudi Hospital in the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher, North Darfur, on Friday.

The implementation of new laws banning the UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA – set to take effect on Thursday – will heighten instability and deepen despair in the occupied Palestinian territory, the Security Council has heard.