News headlines
Why Dowry Still Dictating Women’s Fate?
- Inter Press Service
DHAKA, Bangladesh, October 29 (IPS) - Dowry is still persisting in society in one form or another. This deeply entrenched social practice continues deepen household poverty and cause violence against women. The question is no longer whether Bangladesh has a law against dowry. It does. The more uncomfortable question is why the law has failed to make dowry socially unacceptable and practically difficult to demand. The Dowry Prohibition Act 2018 makes the demand for dowry a criminal offence. Direct or indirect demands can result in one to five years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk 50,000, or both. Giving, taking or assisting in the giving or taking of dowry is also punishable. The law even makes dowry-related agreements void. Yet, the existence of legislation has not eliminated the practice. Instead, dowry has increasingly adapted itself to modern economic and social realities.
COP17 Celebrates Indigenous Leaders Amid Demand for Greater Inclusion in Biodiversity Decisions
- Inter Press Service
YEREVAN, Armenia, October 29 (IPS) - At the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP17, the presence of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) is impossible to miss. Indigenous representatives speak at side events, participate in contact groups, advise negotiators and engage across multiple forums shaping the future of global biodiversity policy.
USA: ‘Rights Can Be Hollowed out One Procedure at a Time until They Survive in Name Only’
- Inter Press Service
CIVICUS discusses voter suppression ahead of the USA’s 2026 midterm elections with Aklima Khondoker, an Atlanta-based civil and voting rights attorney, civil society organisation executive and founder and principal of Atabey Strategies, a consultancy firm that advises civil society organisations on democracy and electoral participation.
Security Council LIVE: Can new technology keep the world’s sea lanes safe?
- UN News
Cheap drones, autonomous vessels and cyberattacks are changing the threats to the world’s shipping lanes – and the tools to counter them. At an open debate on Thursday, the Security Council is weighing how emerging technologies could both endanger and protect seafarers, global trade and food and energy supplies.
Afghanistan opium production jumps fivefold as farmers find ways round Taliban ban
- UN News
Opium production in Afghanistan has risen fivefold in a year. According to a UN survey released on Thursday, it’s the first significant increase since the Taliban banned poppy cultivation in 2022.
Flooding and Food Security: The Urgent Need for Research
- Inter Press Service
URBANA, Illinois, US, October 28 (IPS) - Recently, countries around the world, including the United States of America, celebrated the United Nations 2026 World Food Day. This year’s theme, “Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow,” highlighted how efforts to foster innovation and forward-thinking solutions can help to ensure that everyone in our world has access to sufficient, diverse, safe, and nutritious foods while safeguarding the planet for future generations.
We Cannot Afford to Manage Chemicals One at a Time
- Inter Press Service
GENEVA, October 28 (IPS) - Governments today face an extraordinarily difficult set of tasks: cutting emissions, protecting nature, reducing pollution, creating jobs, strengthening economies, and improving people’s health, all while public finances remain under pressure.
The World Is Watching Norway. Will the Country Protect Antarctica?
- Inter Press Service
OSLO, Norway, October 28 (IPS) - A global boycott of Antarctic krill products is gathering support. As a Norwegian, I want my country – the world’s largest krill-fishing nation – to change course when it comes to protecting Antarctica.
Fifty Years at the Table: What Small Nations Need from the Next UN Secretary-General
- Inter Press Service
VICTORIA, Seychelles, October 28 (IPS) - On 21 September 1976, less than three months after independence, Seychelles took its seat in the General Assembly of the United Nations. We became the 145th member of the Organisation. For a young nation of scattered islands in the Indian Ocean, with a small population and no army to speak of, it was far more than a ceremony. It was a promise that, in the family of nations, size would not decide whose voice was heard.
Higher Ground: How New York is raising a park to hold back the sea
- UN News
On 29 October 2012, Hurricane Sandy slammed into New York City, unleashing a devastating storm surge that flooded homes, subways and tunnels, knocked out power and sparked deadly fires.
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