News headlines in May 2026, page 9

Where does real power reside in the UN development system? A new policy brief from Cepei, a Colombian development policy institute, and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), presented earlier in May, poses this deceptively simple question. The answer matters because institutions that cannot govern fairly or transparently struggle to sustain legitimacy, and legitimacy is essential for peace.

ROME, May 19 (IPS) - For thousands of years, humans have kept bees. Beekeeping is a key agricultural activity, yet its full potential remains largely unrealized. Beekeeping produces far more than honey and generates far more income than many have chosen to acknowledge.

KABUL, May 19 (IPS) - Nooria is a young girl who, because of poverty and the absence of a man in her family, had to dress in boys’ clothes so she could work and feed her family. It was not a choice, it was survival. But she was eventually caught by the Taliban.

PORTLAND, USA, May 19 (IPS) - With death being an inevitable outcome, a fundamental question that crosses the minds of practically everyone is: “How am I going to die?”

WASHINGTON D.C. & HYDERABAD, India, May 19 (IPS) - As governments prepare for the Eighth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) – scheduled to be held from May 30 to June 6 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan – the stakes are unusually high.

CASTRIES, Saint Lucia , May 19 (IPS) - Faster-than-average sea level rise, intensifying hurricanes, extreme heat and worsening swings between drought and flooding are increasing pressure on Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a new report released Monday, May 18 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

PRETORIA, South Africa / WASHINGTON DC, USA , May 19 (IPS) - The World Bank made history in 1994 by creating the Inspection Panel, the first independent accountability mechanism, at any international organisation. Its function is to investigate complaints from communities who allege they were harmed because the bank failed to comply with its own policies and procedures.

A symbolic team of famous footballers with first hand experience of life as a refugee was announced on Tuesday by UNHCR, just weeks ahead of the world’s biggest sporting event - the FIFA Men’s World Cup.

The global economy is entering a more fragile period as geopolitical conflicts, rising energy costs and financial instability threaten global growth and trade.

The UN Security Council is meeting in emergency session in New York to discuss the situation in the Middle East following reports of a drone strike near the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi briefed members as concerns grow over nuclear safety and security in the region. Follow our live coverage below for updates and for coverage of all key meetings at UN Headquarters, go here.