News headlines
Ukraine civilians face escalating attacks and mounting hardship, UN warns
- UN News

Civilians in Ukraine are facing almost daily attacks and growing hardship as Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches the four-year mark, UN human rights investigators said in a new report issued on Tuesday.
Farmers Earn While Reviving Native Forests Through a Blockchain-Powered App
- Inter Press Service

SIAYA, Kenya , December 8 (IPS) - For years, Morris Onyango had been trying to reforest his degraded land on the shores of River Nzoia, in Siaya county, 430 kilometers from Kenya’s Capital, Nairobi. But every time he planted trees on his farm, his efforts bore little fruit, as floodwaters would not only wash away his tree seedlings but also fertile topsoil on his land.
The New Fragility: Peacebuilding Meets Digital Democracy
- Inter Press Service

Established democracies are exhibiting governance stresses that were once associated primarily with fragile and conflict-affected states. Polarisation is weakening institutional trust, fragmenting civic norms, and reducing societies’ ability to solve problems collectively. This is the new fragility. At the same time, governments and civil society organisations are adopting digital tools to support public participation. These deliberative technologies hold real promise, but in polarised environments they also carry risks. Their success depends on the same principles that have guided peacebuilding efforts for decades.
Africa’s Industrial Future is Within Reach: What we Need now is Intentional Investment
- Inter Press Service

VIENNA, Austria, December 8 (IPS) - Africa enters 2025 at a pivotal moment in its development. The ambition to transform the continent’s economies through sustainable industrialization, regional integration, and innovation is clearer than ever, and is picking up pace. The foundations are being laid. Industrial strategies are expanding, regional integration is progressing, infrastructure projects are advancing, and a young, dynamic private sector powers local economies.
At UN, OSCE warns of erosion of security principles amid Ukraine conflict
- UN News

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) chief on Monday urged the UN Security Council to uphold core principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and human rights, warning that Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to undermine European security.
Global atrocity risks rising, warns new UN adviser on genocide prevention
- UN News

The world is witnessing an alarming erosion of respect for international law, with conflicts increasingly targeting civilians and heightening the risk of atrocity crimes, warns the United Nations’ newly appointed Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.
Ukraine civilians bear brunt of escalating attacks as winter closes in
- UN News

Civilians across Ukraine endured a surge in deadly strikes over the weekend, with the UN warning of an “alarming pattern” of intensifying hostilities and mounting damage to essential services as temperatures continue to drop.
Syria at a crossroads: UN warns fragile transition needs global support
- UN News

A year after the fall of the Assad regime opened the door to political and judicial reform, Syria’s future is still precarious.
Israeli police forcibly enter UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem
- UN News

The UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, said that Israeli police raided its compound in East Jerusalem early on Monday, representing “a new challenge to international law.”
Sudan: UN chief condemns deadly strikes on children's nursery, hospital
- UN News

As Sudan’s civil war intensified on Monday, top UN officials condemned the killing of dozens of children in drone strikes in South Kordofan state – and the targeting of first responders trying to help the wounded.
Global Issues