News headlines in 2025, page 227

NEW YORK, May 02 (IPS) - World Press Freedom Day 2025 - Pressures on the press are piling up. Like an avalanche gaining speed yet unnoticed by most people in the valley below, freedom of the press is being relentlessly trampled over - despite the valiant efforts of a few.

More than a month after two powerful earthquakes devastated Myanmar, the country is spiralling deeper into crisis as continued military attacks, obstructed aid access and widespread displacement leave nearly 6.3 million people in urgent need.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is following developments in Syria, where fresh fighting in the capital Damascus and elsewhere is threatening fragile efforts toward peace and political transition.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned on Friday that a worsening funding crisis is placing refugees – who cannot return home due to war or persecution – in increasing danger.

Countries must do everything to ensure that free and independent news reporting can thrive, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday in a message to mark World Press Freedom Day.

"After losing my leg in the war, I returned to photojournalism not just for work, but because I have loved photography since childhood," said Palestinian reporter Sami Shahada.

Two months into a devastating aid blockade of Gaza food has run out and people are fighting over water amid relentless bombing, the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) said on Friday.

May 01 (IPS) - CIVICUS speaks with Ukrainian gender rights activist Maryna Rudenko about the gendered impacts of the war in Ukraine and the importance of including women in peacebuilding efforts.

NEW YORK, May 01 (IPS) - Press freedom is no longer a given in the United States 100 days into President Donald Trump’s second term as journalists and newsrooms face mounting pressures that threaten their ability to report freely and the public’s right to know.

UNITED NATIONS, May 01 (IPS) - The Trump administration’s on-again-off-again threats against the United Nations, and US withdrawals from several UN agencies aggravated further by financial cutbacks, have left most staffers with growing apprehension and uncertainty about their future--- and their mental health.