News headlines in 2022, page 257

Sri Lanka has taken steps towards legal, institutional and security sector reforms, but more action is still needed, according to a report issued on Friday by the UN human rights office, OHCHR, which examines developments over the past year. 

As the Syrian war has driven poverty and hunger to levels higher than at any previous point, UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen told the Security Council on Friday that he would continue to focus on engaging the parties to bring an end to the protracted conflict. 

The President of the UN General Assembly appealed on Friday for greater global solidarity to vaccinate the entire world against COVID-19.  

The impact of extreme weather on Madagascar is an example of the “runaway humanitarian needs” the world will face, unless it takes action to tackle the climate crisis, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.

LONDON, Feb 25 (IPS) - It is now clear diplomacy matters little to Vladimir Putin. Despite the efforts of a string of presidents and prime ministers to prevent conflict, on 24 February, Putin started the war he’d been itching for.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 25 (IPS) - As a new political twist to an old saying goes: the dogs bark but the military caravan moves on.

Despite ominous warnings from an overwhelming majority of member states both in the General Assembly and the Security Council — against a military attack on Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin stood defiant when he ordered a full-scale invasion of a sovereign territory.

Amid reported deadly missile attacks from Russia’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine, including the capital Kiev and other cities, terrified families have been forced to seek shelter underground, the UN said on Friday, adding that at least 100,000 people have likely been displaced by the violence. 

Norah Magero, a Mechanical Engineer and Renewable Energy Expert from Kenya, is helping communities adapt to the changing climate, in the face of gender discrimination.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 24 (IPS) - "Woman, poor, black and illiterate" - most domestic workers suffer quadruple discrimination in Brazil, which made them more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, says one of their leaders, Gloria Rejane Santos.

Lucknow, Feb 24 (IPS) - More and more women from different walks of life and corners of the world are raising their voices against the treatment of minorities in India today.