The UN Secretary-General has expressed grave concern over US airstrikes in and around Yemen’s port of Ra’s Isa this week, which reportedly resulted in scores of civilian casualties.

Two centuries to the day after France imposed a crippling debt on Haiti in exchange for its independence, a UN forum heard calls for the restitution of what has long been described as a “ransom” extorted under the threat of force from the Caribbean nation that still bears the scars of colonialism and slavery.

DAKAR, Senegal, Apr 18 (IPS) - In my country, Senegal, almost 70 percent of our land is used to graze livestock. Here and across Africa, pastoralists and livestock keepers sustain herding systems which are closely bound up with our landscapes and crucial to nationwide food security, economic growth, and ecological balance.

WASHINGTON DC, Apr 18 (IPS) - The global risk landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, posing significant threats to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As extreme weather, macroeconomic shocks, conflict, and other risks intensify and intertwine, they can create ripple effects that amplify existing vulnerabilities and put both human and development progress in peril.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 18 (IPS) - France, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, the most powerful political body at the UN, is planning to break ranks with the other two Western members, the US and UK-- and recognize Palestine as a nation state.

French president Emmanuel Macron was quoted as saying that France would recognize a Palestinian state within months, and suggested he could do it alongside a UN conference in New York in June.

Thousands of families in Myanmar remain without shelter, water, or medical care three weeks after deadly earthquakes struck the country, as frequent aftershocks compound the suffering of communities already battered by conflict and poverty.

NAIROBI, Apr 17 (IPS) - Eliud Rugut comes from generations of farmers, yet his family expected him to move out of their home and pursue another career.

IDLIB, Syria, Apr 17 (IPS) - The Syrian war has left countless Syrians with devastating injuries, ranging from limb amputations and burns to the loss of sensory functions. These injuries have profoundly impacted their lives, compounded by the limited attention and support they receive from civil society organizations.

Escalating armed violence, displacement, economic turmoil and disruptions to local food production are fueling hunger in Haiti and leaving millions at risk, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday.

As Sudan’s civil war grinds on, millions of civilians remain trapped in a relentless cycle of displacement, hunger and violence, while relief efforts are stifled by insecurity and bureaucratic hurdles.