News headlines in 2025, page 56

The Independent UN Fact-Finding Mission investigating alleged rights abuses in Iran says there has been a “surge in repression and extraordinary spike in executions” there since Israeli hit the country with airstrikes in June.

The UN and partners are pushing ahead with aid deliveries across Gaza despite new Israeli airstrikes and a faltering ceasefire, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Friday.

As the Caribbean reels from the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa, UN humanitarian agencies are stepping up efforts to bring relief to thousands of affected people.

More details continued to emerge on Friday of atrocities committed during and after the fall of El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in Sudan’s Darfur region.

Airstrikes carried out by the United States against alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific drew sharp criticism from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday who said they “violate international human rights law” and must stop immediately.

The UN’s top aid official in Ukraine expressed concern on Friday about “continuous attacks” on energy production sites and distribution facilities.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, October 30 (IPS) - Thirty years ago, world leaders gathered in Copenhagen and made a promise: people would be at the center of development. This November, Heads of State and Government will meet again in Doha, Qatar, for the Second World Summit for Social Development or WSSD2.

SAN LUIS JILOTEPEQUE, Guatemala, October 30 (IPS) - Water scarcity that relentlessly hits the rural communities in eastern Guatemala, located in the so-called Central American Dry Corridor, is a constant threat due to the challenges in producing food, year after year. But it is also an incentive to strive to overcome adversities.

BATU, Nigeria, October 30 (IPS) - In 2017, 45-year-old Jabiru Muhammed could hardly contain his excitement when the village head of Batu in Jigawa State, northwestern Nigeria, announced that their community would work with officials from the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) to plant trees across a large stretch of land in the village.

UNITED NATIONS, October 30 (IPS) - In 2024, the climate crisis has disrupted schooling for millions of students worldwide, weakening workforces and hindering social development on a massive scale. With extreme weather patterns preventing students from accessing a safe, and effective learning environment, the United Nations (UN) and the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies (EiE Hub) continue to urge the international community to assist the most climate-sensitive areas in building resilient education systems that empower both students and educators.