The ocean has never been silent – waves crashing, seabirds calling, whales singing across vast distances. But in recent decades, a new kind of noise has taken hold: the relentless hum of ships. For many marine species, this growing wall of sound is more than a nuisance – it’s a threat to their survival.

The Israeli military’s destruction of Gaza’s education and cultural infrastructure amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination, a UN investigative body said on Tuesday, as humanitarian agencies warned of continued mass suffering across the Strip.

The ocean is under siege – and greed is to blame. UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday urged world leaders and grassroots groups to confront the powerful interests driving marine destruction, from illegal fishing and plastic pollution to the accelerating impacts of climate change.

The very real risk of famine continues to stalk Sudan’s communities impacted by war, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday, in an appeal for more funding to support immediate needs and boost longer-term recovery across the country.

The global fertility slump isn’t down to young people turning their backs on parenthood – it’s due to social and economic pressures stopping them from having the children they want, says a new UN report.

BANGKOK, Thailand, Jun 10 (IPS) - Year by year researchers improve and deepen our understanding of economic activity. The primary example, and probably the most commonly used, is the detailed data and analysis available on gross domestic product (GDP).

NICE, France, Jun 09 (IPS) - The world has converged along the Mediterranean Sea to affirm their commitments to the sustainable use and protection of the ocean.

Jun 09 (IPS) - CIVICUS discusses Nicaragua’s withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other international organisations with Wisthon Noguera, an activist, student and deputy coordinator of the National Youth Platform of Nicaragua.

WASHINGTON DC, Jun 09 (IPS) - More than half of sub-Saharan Africa’s population lives in fragile and conflict-affected states (FCS)—economies that face profound challenges such as stagnant economic growth, weak institutions, inadequate public services, extreme poverty, war, and forced internal displacement.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 09 (IPS) - As the Trump administration continues its battle against the United Nations-- over war crimes, human rights, and the climate treaty, among others -- they also remain sharply divided over Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex. (LGBTI) rights.

The US has taken several actions, some by Executive Order, related to transgender people, including restricting Access to Gender-Affirming Care, banning Transgender Individuals from Military Service, rescinding Protections for Transgender Students and ending Federal Funding for gender Ideology.