The conflict in Gaza and Lebanon is spilling over into Syria, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation, the UN Special Envoy for the country warned on Wednesday.

A strike in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip has led to death of at least one staff member of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, on Wednesday.

For more than half a year, the family of award-winning Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna have lived in torment, seeking answers about their daughter’s fate, after she disappeared while reporting from Russian-occupied territory in eastern Ukraine.

A displacement crisis in unfolding in Lebanon, as Israel’s escalating military offensive in the south and the bombing of Beirut continues to drive both Lebanese civilians as well as third country refugees from their homes and shelters, UN agencies warned on Wednesday.

The United Nations marked 15 years of its mandate on sexual violence and conflict with a commemoration ceremony held in New York on Wednesday.

The proportion of women killed in armed conflicts doubled last year compared to 2022, accounting for 40 per cent of all deaths in war, while UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence increased by 50 per cent.

Intense bombardments, mass displacements and lack of access in northern Gaza have forced the postponement of a polio vaccination campaign, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 23 (IPS) - The second of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza has yielded relative success, as so far more than 420,000 children have been vaccinated since the second round of immunizations began one week prior. This exception stands out as the uptick in airstrikes and sustained blockages of aid give humanitarian organizations cause for concern for the deterioration of Gaza, especially in the north.

WASHINGTON DC, Oct 23 (IPS) - On Friday the 11th, the IMF announced policy changes that will save developing countries $1.2 billion per year. Despite the self-congratulations and fanfare, these reforms are only a tiny fraction of what campaigners had been asking for — and an even smaller share of what the Global South needs.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Oct 22 (IPS) - New institutional economics (NIE) has received another so-called Nobel prize, ostensibly for again claiming that good institutions and democratic governance ensure growth, development, equity and democracy.