News headlines
Taliban Use Dress Code to Justify Arbitrary Arrests of Women
- Inter Press Service

HERAT, Afghanistan, July 16 (IPS) - One morning in June, Halima (name changed), went to the market in Herat, her hometown in western Afghanistan, with her mother. She was wearing a long coat and a surgical mask covering her face. She could not have imagined that just a few minutes later she would be sitting in prison.
Autonomous Weapons: The Wave of the Future in Military Conflicts Worldwide
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, July 16 (IPS) - As the international community continues to weigh the good, the bad and the deadly in artificial intelligence (AI), which is spreading far and wide with apparently no guardrails, the United Nations is taking a closer look at the impact, both positive and negative, of AI.
More than 500 people feared dead in double Myanmar shipwreck tragedy
- UN News

There is growing concern for at least 500 people believed to have been aboard two boats that reportedly capsized off Myanmar’s coast in recent days.
Full Effects of Strait of Hormuz Disruption May Not Be Felt Until Second Half of 2026
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, July 16 (IPS) - The full economic impact of the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz may not become clear until the second half of 2026, warns the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
How Farmers Are Learning About Restoring Soils and Scaling Agroecology in Kenya
- Inter Press Service

MAKUENI, Kenya, July 15 (IPS) - At Yumbuni Village in Kenya’s Makueni County, farmers from Vihiga and Kakamega counties have travelled over 560 kilometres to join their colleagues in Kathonzweni Ward and see the progress of experiments being carried out on different homemade organic fertilisers and other farm inputs.
World News in Brief: Schools closed in West Bank, AI in healthcare, Indigenous rights
- UN News

Access to education continues to worsen in the West Bank, the United Nations reported on Wednesday.
Gulf crisis: Guterres calls for de-escalation, warns against return to full-on war
- UN News

UN Secretary-General António Guterres voiced deep concern on Wednesday over the continuing military escalation in the Middle East amid ongoing strikes by the United States and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
New guidance offers hope for reducing the global toll of dementia
- UN News

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued updated global guidelines aimed at reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, saying that up to 45 per cent of cases may be preventable or delayed by addressing modifiable risk factors throughout life.
Colombia: Pockets of insecurity challenge ‘vibrant democracy’, Security Council told
- UN News

As Colombia awaits the inauguration of its newly elected president, pockets of insecurity remain a challenge for a nation that has overcome decades of conflict, the head of the UN verification team there told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Security Council LIVE: International Criminal Court briefs on Darfur
- UN News

On Wednesday, the Security Council heard an update on the International Criminal Court's work in Sudan's Darfur region, referred to the Court back in 2005. Focus has recently turned to atrocities in the ongoing war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The briefing was held as the ICC faces mounting pressure: this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched a campaign to “dismantle” the Court, which prosecutes individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. Follow full live coverage below.

