News headlines
Lebanon: UNHCR chief issues urgent aid appeal to stem humanitarian catastrophe
- UN News
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees called on Sunday for greater international support to stem the “humanitarian catastrophe” now engulfing Lebanon following a massive escalation in Israeli airstrikes and a “limited” ground invasion there targeting Hezbollah militants.
A letter from a mother in Gaza: Hardships, heartbreak and hope
- UN News
‘‘This story doesn’t start from day one. It starts from nine months ago – the day I learned I was going to be a mother.”
May Teacher Voices Echo Around the Globe
- Inter Press Service
NEW YORK, Oct 05 (IPS) - We must build a new social contract for education – a contract based on equality, equity, and universal human rights. At the center of our global efforts to ensure education for all, we must put teachers first in everything we do. They are frontlines heroes who deliver every day to educate children, cultivate young talent, and build a strong society. They are the substitute parents, the mentors and the ones who contribute to shaping the identify of a child in war, in refuge or in climate change.
Guterres urges global community to repeat ‘utter condemnation’ of 7 October Hamas terror attack
- UN News
In a message to mark one year since the Hamas-led terror attack during which more than 1,250 Israelis and foreign nationals were brutally killed on 7 October, the UN Secretary-General has called on the international community to loudly condemn those “abhorrent acts” which have triggered a shocking wave of violence across the region.
To Put a Stop to Siphoning off Money, Start with Data
- Inter Press Service
NEW YORK, Oct 04 (IPS) - Khalid Saifullah, Fellow, Save Bangladesh USA Inc.The commonly used Bangla phrase for siphoning off money out of the country – "taka pachar" – is rather misleading. Because taka, the Bangladeshi currency, is never taken out of Bangladesh. It's not useful anywhere else. What goes out is its equivalence in foreign currencies, especially, US dollars. The technical term for such criminal act is Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs). Mistakenly, sometimes IFFs are referred to as money laundering – a processing of criminal proceeds to disguise their illegal origin.
Why Africa Should Embrace Territorial Markets to Withstand Climate Shocks and Crises
- Inter Press Service
HARARE, Oct 04 (IPS) - African policymakers, local leaders and the private sector have been asked to create an enabling environment that will help African traders and farmer folks build reliable systems for food security and resilience through territorial markets.
The UN Cybercrime Convention: A New Repressive Tool in Disguise?
- Inter Press Service
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Oct 04 (IPS) - The UN Office on Drugs and Crime hailed the recently agreed Cybercrime Convention as a ‘landmark step' in cooperating to tackle online dangers. But human rights organisations aren't so sure.
Dominican Republic Orders the Expulsion of Thousands of Haitian Migrants
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 04 (IPS) - Over the past few months, the escalation of gang violence and mass displacement in Haiti have been of great concern for humanitarian organizations. Severe levels of armed violence have resulted in significant instability, with food insecurity, sexual violence, civilian casualities, and restricted freedom of movement plaguing the nation. Displacement cases have risen sharply, to the extent that the Dominican Republic has ordered the return of thousands of Haitian migrants.
Will Ukraine Benefit if IMF Ends its Punitive Fees on Debt Burdened Countries?
- Inter Press Service
KYIV, Ukraine, Oct 04 (IPS) - Over the coming month, the United States has a window of opportunity to lift a multi-billion-dollar burden from Ukraine, and other countries in financial distress, without costing the US taxpayer a dime.
Gang attack in Haiti's Pont Sondé leaves 70 dead
- UN News
An attack by a notorious gang in the town of Pont Sondé, Haiti, left at least 70 people dead on Thursday, after gunmen armed with automatic rifles opened fire, a spokesperson for the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday.