News headlines in 2022, page 276

Lives, livelihoods, and vital crops are at risk across Madagascar with Tropical Cyclone Batsirai expected to make landfall within hours. Meanwhile, the island nation off the coast of East Africa is still reeling from the impact of Storm Ana last month, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Friday. 

Marking the International Day of Human Fraternity on Friday, the United Nations’ Secretary-General issued a stark warning over rising hate speech, intolerance, discrimination and physical violence. 

The qualities of fair play and solidarity that characterize the Olympics must shine throughout the games and beyond, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message to the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, on Friday. 

PARIS, Feb 03 (IPS) - The Rastafari movement, which began in Jamaica during the 1930s, has become internationally known for its contribution to culture and the arts, as well as for its focus on peace and “ital” living. Major icons include reggae musicians Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer and Burning Spear, with the movement overall projecting a very male image.

Abuja, Nigeria, Feb 03 (IPS) - Seidu Ishaiku lives in the hope that his children will succeed. He and his family live with about 300 other residents in the Alheri leprosy colony outside Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory Abuja.

Peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have stepped up their presence in the area around a camp for displaced people in Ituri province following a deadly attack this week, the United Nations said on Thursday. 

The triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution is worsening, the deputy UN chief told a new coordination meeting of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on Thursday, reminding that the world has less than nine years left to reach the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The grinding conflict in eastern Ukraine is increasingly affecting the mental health of boys and girls, causing nightmares, social isolation and panic attacks, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported. 

The COVID-19 pandemic could reverse decades of global progress in stamping out female genital mutilation (FGM), UN agencies warn ahead of the International Day to eliminate the harmful practice. 

Following an attack by United States Special Forces in northwestern Syria that culminated in the death of the leader of the ISIL terrorist network, the deputy UN Spokesperson on Thursday expressed concern over reported civilian casualties, but welcomed any move contributing to the group’s defeat.