News headlines in 2023, page 253

ABUJA, Feb 24 (IPS) - On the morning of 24 September 1998, General Abdulsalam A. Abubakar, the then Military Head of State of Nigeria, took the stage at the United Nations Headquarters and informed the leaders assembled for the United Nations General Assembly debates and the world at large of his intention to return Nigeria to a democratically elected civilian government on 29 May 1999.

ALMERIA, Spain, Feb 24 (IPS) - Chances are that the fruits and vegetables sold in European supermarkets have been picked and packed by a migrant worker in southern Spain. By the tens of thousands, they work there, in sweltering hot plastic greenhouses - often underpaid and without residence permit - in the vegetable garden of Europe. "Cheap vegetables, yes. But at what price?"

ABUJA, Feb 24 (IPS) - From all indications, President Muhammadu Buhari will be handing over a fractured nation that is deeply divided along ethnic and religious lines when he formally hands over to his successor on May 29, 2023. This would-be successor will be inheriting a country mired in economic woes threatening its corporate existence if he’s not assuming the job prepared to address these problems headlong.

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 24 (IPS) - Youth have already transformed the narrative of the 2023 elections, and it would be crucial for Nigeria’s newly elected president to consider their issues as he takes on the enormous task of rebuilding the country, says CIVICUS’ Advocacy and Campaigns Lead David Kode.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb 24 (IPS) - While its origins may be rooted in the discrimination faced by people living with HIV, Zero Discrimination Day has evolved to celebrate commitments to the fundamental human right of being treated equally in law and in practice.

Tropical cyclone Freddy, one of the longest-lasting systems in the southern hemisphere, slammed into Mozambique on Friday, as UN agencies helped residents with early action.

One year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, nearly half the population – roughly 18 million people – need humanitarian aid and protection, the United Nations said on Friday. 

The UN chief told the Security Council on Friday that “we need peace” in Ukraine, calling for urgent action on multiple fronts.

A senior official with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Friday called for greater support for boys and girls affected by the powerful earthquakes in Türkiye, which have left more than one million people homeless. 

The people of Ukraine remain resilient a year since Russia’s 24 February invasion but “humanitarian aid is as necessary as ever,” according to the UN’s most senior official in the country.