Myanmar’s war-torn Rakhine faces famine with two million people at risk, UN says
Reuters Myanmar’s war-ravaged Rakhine state could face imminent famine according to a United Nations report, which estimates that more than two million people could be at the risk of starvation. Rice production in Rakhine, a western state that borders Bangladesh, has declined due to shortages of seeds and fertilisers, severe weather and the displacement of […]
Ukraine seeks global help with massive task of landmine clearance at Swiss meeting
Lausanne, Switzerland Reuters Ukraine’s Prime Minister appealed at a meeting in Switzerland on Thursday for more help clearing landmines and unexploded bombs covering up to a quarter of the country – making it the most mined nation in the world. Switzerland, which is providing financial support, is hosting the conference this week attended by officials […]
Debt burden threatens poor countries’ development goals, UN official says
Hamburg, Germany Reuters The world’s poorest countries are having to prioritise debt service over investments, United Nations Development Programme administrator Achim Steiner said on Monday, scuppering progress towards their Sustainable Development Goals. Speaking at an event in Hamburg, Steiner said the financial crunch meant countries worldwide were struggling to meet the goals – a set […]
G20’s legitimacy depends on treatment of world’s poorest, UNDP chief says
Sao Paulo, Brazil Reuters The legitimacy of the Group of 20 economic powers depends on its impact on the world’s poorest people, not just controlling inflation, the head of the United Nations Development Programme said on Tuesday. Finance ministers from the G20 are meeting in Brazil this week with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva […]
One-tenth of India’s population escaped poverty in five years – government report
New Delhi, India Reuters Nearly 135 million people, around 10 per cent of India’s population, escaped poverty in the five years to March, 2021, a government report found on Monday. Residents walk in an alley in Dharavi, one of Asia’s largest slums, in Mumbai, on 12th March, 2015. PICTURE: Reuters/Danish Siddiqui/File photo Rural areas saw […]
UN agency calls for debt pause option as poverty rates rise
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters A United Nations agency urged global finance ministers to give poor countries debt repayment breaks, estimating the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent surge in inflation and borrowing costs had pushed an extra 165 million people into poverty. The UN Development Programme said the jump meant more than 20 per cent of the world’s population – […]
Gender biases not improved over past decade, UN says
Reuters Gender inequality has remained stagnant for a decade, according to research by the United Nations released on Monday, as cultural biases and pressures continue to hinder women’s empowerment and leave the world unlikely to meet the UN’s goal of gender parity by 2030. Despite a surge in women’s rights groups and social movements like Time’s Up and […]
Six killed after latest earthquake shakes Turkey-Syria border
Antakya, Turkey Reuters Six people were killed in the latest earthquake to strike the border region of Turkey and Syria, authorities said on Tuesday, two weeks after a massive quake killed more than 47,000 people and damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes. Monday’s quake, which struck just as the rescue work from the […]
Serious debt crisis unfolding across developing countries – UNDP
London Reuters The United Nations’ Development Programme joined on Tuesday the chorus of institutions and charities warning that a serious debt crisis is now taking hold in the poorest parts of the world. In a new report, the UNDP estimated that 54 countries, accounting for more than half of the world’s poorest people, now needed […]
Postcards: Egypt erects sand barriers as rising sea swallows the Nile Delta
MENNA A FAROUK, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on hopes low-cost sand dykes can help hold back the Mediterranean Sea and protect the homes and incomes of people in Egypt’s breadbasket…