NEW YORK, May 22 (IPS) - In January 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that upended humanitarian efforts globally, leaving millions of vulnerable people without lifesaving services. The administration's decision to slash American international aid by 83% is creating daily tragedies in the world's most fragile regions.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 22 (IPS) - The UN is going through another exercise in reforming itself under immense pressure from the US, its main funder. This time US President Donald Trump has expressed himself much more forcefully and seems determined to pare down US contributions and demand further curtailing of UN expenses, while some other donors, reluctant to show their own hands, are quietly cheering on the US.

The United Kingdom agreed to cede its control over the Chagos Islands to the Republic of Mauritius in an agreement signed between the two countries on Thursday.

With more than 36,000 civilian deaths recorded in conflict zones in 2024 and sexual violence surging, senior UN officials warn that the international framework designed to protect civilians is collapsing.

More than half the people killed in Gaza over the past week were in shelters and residential buildings, the UN human rights office OHCHR said on Thursday.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Thursday that it has been forced to cut food aid to unprecedented lows in Kenya’s sprawling refugee camps, as a result of severe funding shortages.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned the “appalling killing” of two Israeli embassy officials in the United States capital, stressing that “nothing can justify such a horrific act,” his Spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday.

We're live as the Security Council convenes for its annual open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, with briefings from UN relief chief Tom Fletcher and the head of UN Women Sima Bahous. Ambassadors will discuss evolving threats, including use of heavy weapons and the rise of lethal autonomous killing machines such as drones. The UN has documented a spike in deaths, with Gaza, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and Ukraine among the hardest-hit. Mobile app users can follow here.

UN agencies in Gaza confirmed on Thursday that desperately needed aid has finally arrived at warehouses inside the enclave after an 11-week blockade by Israeli authorities.

PORTLAND, USA, May 21 (IPS) - Many countries around the world have a fertility rate below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman, but one country stands out with its exceptionally low fertility rate.