BRATISLAVA, May 05 (IPS) - As a string of European states announce withdrawals from a global treaty banning antipersonnel landmines, campaigners are warning countless lives could be put at risk as decades of progress fighting the weapons come under threat.

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 05 (IPS) - Reflecting on this year’s IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, one word lingers in my mind: uncertainty. The shifting global geopolitical landscape loomed large—none more so than the US administration’s initial threat to withdraw from the Bretton Woods institutions.

NEW YORK, May 05 (IPS) - Climate change is threatening to engulf small island states such as Maldives and the Marshall Islands. Gender apartheid is still practiced in theocratic states such as Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. War crimes and genocide are taking place in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Sudan.

The United Nations has condemned a deadly aerial bombardment on a hospital in South Sudan’s Jonglei state that killed multiple civilians and forced the suspension of vital medical services for over 100,000 people.

The UN is sounding the alarm over escalating violence in Sudan following drone strikes near Port Sudan airport reportedly carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The UN Secretary-General is alarmed by reports of Israeli plans to expand ground operations and prolong its military presence in Gaza, a spokesperson for António Guterres said on Monday.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday called for “maximum restraint” from India and Pakistan, warning that escalating tensions over a recent deadly terror attack in Kashmir risk spiralling into outright military confrontation.

Greater awareness and action are needed as Europe and parts of the Middle East grapple with fresh outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) which can have devastating impacts on both animal health and regional economies, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Monday.

The UN and partners on Sunday issued a stark warning over the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as Israeli authorities maintain a near-total blockade on the delivery of aid for a ninth consecutive week.

BRATISLAVA, May 02 (IPS) - Global press freedom across the world is at a “critical moment,” campaigners have warned, as a major index mapping the state of global press freedom hits an unprecedented low.