News headlines for “Democracy”, page 64
The Indus Water Treaty Suspension: A Wake-Up Call for Asia–Pacific Unity ?
- Inter Press Service

May 12 (IPS) - On April 23, India suspended the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), a 65-year-old agreement that had been a rare symbol of cooperation between India and Pakistan despite decades of hostility. The suspension came a day after militants attacked civilians in Jammu and Kashmir, a disputed region, killing 26 people, most of them Indian tourists. India accused Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism” and responded by halting the treaty. Pakistan denied involvement in the attack and called India’s move an “act of war.”
Staff Union Demands Full & Active Participation in Ongoing Negotiations on UN Reforms
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, May 12 (IPS) - As discussions on the restructuring of the United Nations — including a possible merger of UN agencies and staff lay-offs system-wide — continue at the highest levels of the Secretariat, the Staff Union (UNSU) is demanding an active presence in the ongoing talks.
A proposed resolution, which is expected to be adopted at the UNSU general meeting on May 14, is very specific in its demands.
In Zimbabwe, Farmers Are Leading Scientific Research on Conservation Agriculture
- Inter Press Service

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, May 09 (IPS) - Migren Matanga grew up shying away from small and traditional grains in Rushinga, in northern Zimbabwe.
Rights with No Age Limit: Hopes for a Convention on the Rights of Older People
- Inter Press Service

BRUSSELS, Belgium / MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, May 09 (IPS) - The world’s population is ageing. Global life expectancy has leapt to 73.3 years, up from under 65 in 1995. Around the world, there are now 1.1 billion people aged 60-plus, expected to rise to 1.4 billion by 2030 and 2.1 billion by 2050.
This demographic shift is a triumph, reflecting public health successes, medical advances and better nutrition. But it brings human rights challenges.
Armed Gangs Expand Their Control in the Centre Department of Haiti
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, May 08 (IPS) - Following a series of brutal altercations in the communes of Mirebalais and Saut d’Eau in Haiti back in late March, local gangs have taken over both communes, spurring heightened displacement and insecurity. This is indicative of the continuing deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Haiti as these armed gangs expand their control beyond Port-au-Prince.
The Taliban Took Everything - Even My Hope
- Inter Press Service

KABUL, May 08 (IPS) - Rukhsar (pseudonym), 27, is a widow and sole breadwinner for a family of five. She recounts her life story under Taliban rule, a reality faced by thousands of women in Afghanistan.
India-Pakistan: On the Brink—But Is There a Way Back?
- Inter Press Service

KARACHI, Pakistan, May 08 (IPS) - Just after the young couple arrived at Al-Sayyed Shabistan, a quaint guesthouse in Taobat, on April 30, soldiers showed up, urging them to leave—war, they warned, could break out any moment.
UN Needs to Protect its Vital, Yet Underfunded, Human Rights Work
- Inter Press Service

May 08 (IPS) - Louis Charbonneau is UN director, Human Rights WatchMajor-power cutbacks and delayed payments amidst conflict and insecurity are testing the very principles and frameworks upon which the international human rights infrastructure was built nearly 80 years ago.
Underfunding Threatens Sahrawi Refugees in Algeria
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, May 07 (IPS) - Since the Western Sahara War in 1975, Sahrawi refugees have resided in a collection of refugee shelters in the Tindouf province of Algeria. For over 50 years, these communities have struggled to develop self-sufficiency and have been solely dependent on humanitarian aid for survival, marking one of the most protracted refugee crises in the world.
‘Trump Is Advancing a 21st-century US Variant of Fascism, Backed by a White Nationalist Ideology’
- Inter Press Service

May 07 (IPS) - CIVICUS speaks about democratic decline in the USA with humanitarian and civil society activist Samuel Worthington, former president of the US civil society alliance InterAction and author of a new book, Prisoners of Hope: Global Action and the Evolving Roles of US NGOs.

