UN humanitarians are working flat out on the ground in Libya, providing desperately needed aid to thousands of survivors of the flood disaster that has left thousands dead and thousands more unaccounted for.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday reiterated his call to action for countries across the world to establish peace forged through sustainable development, human rights and a healthy environment.

Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh traded the ocean for New York State’s Hudson River, declaring at the end of his epic 517 kilometre journey downriver on Wednesday that “we can never become complacent when it comes to protecting the environment”.

The SDG Summit, taking place at the start of the UN General Assembly High Level Week, marks halftime for the crucial Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Insufficient progress towards climate goals is slowing down the global fight against poverty, hunger and deadly diseases, according to a report released on Thursday by the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Sep 13 (IPS) - On 26 August, Gabon went through the motions of an election. Official results were announced four days later, in the middle of the night, with the country under curfew. Predictably, incumbent President Ali Bongo, in power since the death of his father and predecessor in 2009, was handed a third term. Fraud allegations were rife, as in previous elections. But this time something unprecedented happened: less than an hour later the military had taken over, and the Bongo family’s 56-year reign had ended.

GWADAR, Pakistan, Sep 13 (IPS) - Ten years ago I ran an academy for girls in Dohr Gatti, a small slum on the outskirts of Gwadar, a coastal city in Balochistan, southwestern Pakistan. Most of the girls were between the ages of eleven and fifteen and had the little opportunity to receive a formal education.

BUDGAM, INDIA, Sep 13 (IPS) - It has been over a decade since 32-year-old Rafiqa (not her real name) was sold to a villager after being lured by the promise that she would be employed in the handicrafts industry of Indian-administered Kashmir.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Sep 13 (IPS) - The commodity boom early this century was mainly driven by mineral prices. Yet, mining’s contribution to developing countries’ revenue has been modest, largely due to massive tax evasion and avoidance.

OAKLAND, California, Sep 13 (IPS) - In the wake of the recent Africa Climate Summit, which convened in Nairobi from September 4-6, 2023, the world’s attention was drawn to the pressing challenges facing the African continent as it grapples with the devastating effects of climate change.