KAMPALA, Uganda, May 11 (IPS) - As fuel, firewood remains the dominant source of energy in Uganda. It has a long history of being unsustainably harvested, leading to severe depletion of the country's forest cover. But with new technology, biomass is now cleaning up its act.

ROME, May 11 (IPS) - On the evening of Tuesday, 10 May 2016, Professor Muhammad Yunus addressed an audience that included prominent government officials and dignitaries not only from Italy, but also from countries like Afghanistan, Indonesia, Liberia, reflecting the scope of Yunus' work to alleviate global poverty. The event was hosted by the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), a Rome-based organization that advocates for development through promoting the rule of law worldwide. Professor Yunus was recently named to the International Advisory Council of IDLO.

UNITED NATIONS, May 11 (IPS) - The Kenyan government's decision to close its refugee camps will have disastrous consequences and must be reconsidered, international organisations have stated.

SRINAGAR, India, May 10 (IPS) - Trudging barefoot on his two-acre piece of land, 57-year-old Mukhtar Ahmad has little hope of growing any crops this year due to the sudden dry spell that has struck Kashmir's winter.

UNITED NATIONS, May 10 (IPS) - The UN wants to create a new Global Compact to encourage countries to share the responsibility for hosting the 19 million refugees who have fled their home countries.

UNITED NATIONS, May 10 (IPS) - Militarisation in indigenous territories in Asia is exacerbating conflict and human rights violations, said Secretary-General of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact Joan Carling at an event during the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) held here Monday.

LIVINGSTONE, Zambia, May 09 (IPS) - Over 600 delegates representing at least 570 million farms scattered around the world gathered in Zambia from May 4-7 under the umbrella of the World Farmers' Organisation (WFO) to discuss climate change, land tenure, innovations and capacity building as four pillars on which to build agricultural development.

, May 09 (IPS) - Aid organisations have differing views about the upcoming World Humanitarian Summit, after Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) pulled out last week some still hope the Summit will help bring about much needed change.

UNITED NATIONS, May 09 (IPS) - Helping at-risk communities adapt to climate change impacts is an important part of the Paris Climate Change agreement, but adaptation will not be complete without considering disaster risk.

, May 08 (IPS) - The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) believes that ongoing military conflicts, which have also devastated agricultural crops and livestock, are one of the primary causes of food shortages in war zones in Africa and the Middle East.