NEW DELHI, India, Feb 13 (IPS) - Almost over 33,000 people have been killed and thousands injured by the 7.8 earthquake which struck south-eastern Turkey and Syria in the early hours on Monday, February 6th. The first images that came out were of collapsed buildings, rubble strewn across streets, people trapped under rubbles, screaming for help. What followed was the unusually strong aftershock - including one quake which was almost as large as the first.

PORTLAND, USA, Feb 13 (IPS) - With one in ten people in the world going hungry, food prices hitting record highs, and the worsening conditions of the environment and climate, it’s time for the world’s population of 8 billion to eat something that is available, abundant and inexpensive: plastics.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Feb 13 (IPS) - Last year’s devastating floods in Pakistan cost the country more than US$30 billion, about 6.4 trillion rupees.

The entire Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for 2021-2022 was valued at 900 billion rupees. This means that the floods wiped out development gains worth more than six PSDPs. This disproportionately affects the vulnerable segments of society, especially women, girls, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 13 (IPS) - As the toll in last week’s earthquakes in Turkey and Syria exceeds a staggering 28,000 people dead and more than 78,000 injured--and counting-- the United Nations is in an emergency-footing struggling to provide humanitarian aid, along with several international humanitarian organizations.

Support “turbocharged” efforts to get back on track to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN chief told the General Assembly on Monday.

Sport can change the world, famous footballers and grassroots gamechangers alike said at a roundtable discussion on Monday, highlighting a new UN podcast series to mark the first International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism, as and when Conducive to Terrorism.

Syria’s future generation of young people is being lost due to the multiple crises affecting the country, according to a senior official at the UN World Health Organization (WHO). 

The UN Secretary-General has welcomed the decision on Monday by the Syrian president to open two further crossing points on the Turkish border to allow more aid into the stricken northwest of the country.

Preventing violations against children affected by war has never been more pertinent or urgent, the UN expert advocating for these boys and girls said in a briefing to the Security Council on Monday. 

From supporting forthcoming elections in South Sudan, to getting war-weary people to buy into peace processes; to ensuring high school girls in Afghanistan can keep learning even after they have been banned from classrooms: radio continues to be relevant in the digital era.