News headlines in March 2025, page 24

PORTLAND, US, Mar 04 (IPS) - As the world’s population increased five-fold since the start of the 20th century, the changes in the geographic distribution of the billions of people across the planet have been ongoing and significant.

BRATISLAVA, Mar 04 (IPS) - LGBTQI communities across Europe and Central Asia are being ‘weaponized’ by governments as part of a wider attack on fundamental human rights and freedoms, rights activists have warned.

SRINAGAR, India, Mar 04 (IPS) - With a severe rainfall and snow deficit, some residents of Kashmir, an area known for its snow-capped mountains, lush valleys, and pristine lakes, are looking to the heavens for answers as little assistance seems to be coming from the authorities as their livelihoods dry up.The picturesque Kashmir Valley is battling nature’s fury. This time of year, its majestic mountains would typically be capped with thick snow, and its emerald streams would gush with fresh waters. However, none of these scenes are visible this year.

NEW YORK, Mar 04 (IPS) - A new global report analyzing sex discrimination in laws reveals that while some commendable gains have been achieved in strengthening legal protections for women and girls over the past five years, progress remains slow, uneven, and increasingly under threat from a growing backlash against women’s rights.

The UN Special Envoy for Syria on Tuesday condemned ongoing Israeli attacks inside Syrian territory and continuing violations in and around the demilitarised zone created as part of a 1974 ceasefire agreement.

UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday that the continued closure of key border crossings into Gaza is putting civilian lives at risk, just as they begin to recover from months of war, deprivation and hunger.

“The time to step up is now” for the people of Somalia, where drought threatens 1.7 million young children at risk of acute malnutrition, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.

As conflict rages across Sudan, armed men are raping and sexually assaulting children, including some infants as young as one, according to the UN children’s agency (UNICEF).

The UN Secretary-General on Tuesday stressed that the “true foundation” of recovery and reconstruction in Gaza must be based on a clear and agreed political framework, not just bricks and mortar.

In a series of meetings in Nairobi, Kenya, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed spearheaded discussions on fortifying global food systems and advancing sustainable development, setting the stage for the upcoming fourth UN Food Systems Summit.