If you’re a Ukrainian living in a hard-to-reach part of a city under fire, the chances of the UN being able to get lifesaving aid to you and your family are improving, thanks to an innovative partnership announced on Wednesday, between the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and global transportation platform, Uber.

Ensuring a healthy and productive ocean that serves the whole planet, is a “collective responsibility” that can only be fulfilled by working together, the UN chief told an celebratory event marking World Oceans Day on Wednesday.

DURBAN, South Africa, Jun 08 (IPS) - Africa is plagued by many epidemics — from tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS to malaria and wild polio — but the continent has also worked for decades to fight these threats. The key to beating these deadly diseases is turning inward to existing expertise and finding locally driven solutions.

NEW DELHI, India, Jun 08 (IPS) - It has been over 100 days since Russia first invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, turning the country into a slaughterhouse. The United Nations (UN) in this report says that, as of 1 June, 2022, more than 6.9 million refugees have left Ukraine and 2.1 million have returned, while eight million people are displaced inside Ukraine itself. War in Ukraine has caused the fastest growing refugee crisis since World War II.

As part of ongoing international efforts to address growing concerns over global food security linked to the war in Ukraine, a top UN official on Wednesday urged countries not to slap restrictions on the export of foodstuffs that are in such short supply elsewhere.

LONDON, Jun 08 (IPS) - This is what happens when you starve. With no food, the body’s metabolism slows down to preserve energy for vital organs. Hungry and weak, people often become fatigued, irritable and confused.

The immune system loses strength. As they starve, people—especially children—are likelier to fall sick or die from diseases they may have otherwise resisted. Cholera, respiratory infections, malaria, dengue, and diphtheria kill more people in famines than starvation itself.

World Oceans Day marked on 8 June, reminds us of the significant role oceans have in everyday life. Moreover, the 2022 theme – Revitalization: collective action for the ocean – underlines the importance of acting together to save our ocean.

Nairobi, Jun 07 (IPS) - When Yohei Sasakawa visited a remote village in South America, he found 23 people living there. It was no ordinary village because all the residents had been stigmatized and shunned by society because they were affected by leprosy.

Ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, and discrimination against Palestinians, is essential to stopping the decades-long conflict between the two sides, a new UN independent human rights body said on Tuesday. 

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jun 07 (IPS) - Acaba Mundo has fallen into oblivion, despite its apocalyptic name – which roughly translates as World’s End - and historical importance as an urban waterway. It is a typical victim of Brazil’s metropolises, which were turned into cemeteries of streams, with their flooded neighborhoods and filthy rivers.