Hopes for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been shaken by a surge in brutal attacks on civilians by armed groups, including the Rwandan-backed M23 militia, in the country’s troubled eastern region.

For the world’s landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), geography isn’t just a challenge, it’s a costly barrier to trade. Cut off from direct access to the sea, these nations face steep transport costs, sluggish delivery times, and a maze of border procedures that slow down economic progress.

The world changed forever 80 years ago this Wednesday when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima during the Second World War.

Aid agencies warned on Wednesday that most partner organizations providing vital relief across Gaza will likely have to shut down their operations within weeks, unless Israel withdraws its demand that they provide sensitive information about Palestinian employees.

BRATISLAVA, August 6 (IPS) - As Russian forces continue to lay waste to civilian areas of towns and cities across Ukraine, Roma in the country are struggling to access compensation to help them rebuild their damaged homes.

UNITED NATIONS, August 6 (IPS) - At the United Nations media stakeout on Tuesday, Israeli officials kept focus exclusively on the hostages, avoiding questions entirely.

AWAZA, Turkmenistan , August 6 (IPS) - In the glass-panelled hallway straddling Buildings 2 and 3 at the Awaza Congress Centre, two smartly dressed young Turkmens stood behind an ornate national pavilion—anxious, alert, and surprisingly eloquent.

  Artificial Intelligence is changing how we live, learn, work – and who gets heard. It holds promise for humanity but, without safeguards, it risks becoming a new tool of domination.

CASTRIES, Saint Lucia, August 5 (IPS) - The beauty of the majestic Piton mountains, vibrant culture, dazzling beaches and lush landscapes of Saint Lucia are invaluable assets. The country also takes pride in having two Nobel laureates, which is remarkable for a nation with a population of over 180,000.

AWAZA, Turkmenistan, August 5 (IPS) - Heads of State, ministers, investors and grassroots leaders are gathered in Awaza on Turkmenistan’s Caspian coast for a once-in-a-decade UN conference aimed at rewiring the global system in support of 32 landlocked developing countries whose economies are often ‘locked out’ of opportunity due to their lack of access to the sea.