Global Issues

BRATISLAVA, January 29 (IPS) - “I’d never encountered anything like it before. I had no idea that there could be a place that needed humanitarian aid and that a government entity wouldn’t allow physicians or health workers into [that place],” says Jane.* Read the full story, “‘Unfathomable But Avoidable’ Suffering in Gaza Hospitals, Says Volunteer Nurse”, on globalissues.org →

BANGKOK, Thailand, January 29 (IPS) - The International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation in 2025 was a timely reminder that the stability of Mongolia’s economy rests on fragile mountain systems that are melting faster than ever recorded. The loss reverberates across the country’s energy and agricultural systems, two development pillars that draw from the same finite resource: water. Read the full story, “Melting Reserves of Power: Mongolia’s Glaciers and the Future of Energy and Food Security”, on globalissues.org →

With global tensions rising and “reckless actions” triggering dangerous consequences, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday called for renewed efforts on peace, justice and sustainable development as he outlined his priorities for 2026 – the final year of his tenure.Read the full story, “Choose peace over chaos, Guterres urges as he sets out final-year priorities”, on globalissues.org →

In Sudan, where the devastating conflict between the Sudanese army and rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces is nearing the end of its third year, more than three million people have returned to their areas of origin, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Thursday.Read the full story, “World News in Brief: IOM warning for Sudan returnees, Nipah virus alert for India, food security in Afghanistan”, on globalissues.org →

Gambia’s Supreme Court is considering whether a law protecting women and girls from female genital mutilation (FGM) is constitutional. The practice, common in Gambia, often involves forcibly restraining girls while parts of their genitals are cut, sometimes with the wound sewn shut. Read the full story, “Gambia’s Supreme Court to Decide on FGM Ban”, on globalissues.org →

KABUL, January 28 (IPS) - Young women in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, are trying their hands at unfamiliar tasks in embroidery, tailoring and designing beads in market stalls. Many should instead have been sitting at desks writing computer software or reporting news, the fields they trained for. Read the full story, “Talent Wasted: Afghanistan’s Educated Women Adapt Under Taliban Restrictions”, on globalissues.org →

CHIANG MAI, Thailand , January 28 (IPS) - From construction and hotel workers to kitchen and restaurant staff—estimates of the numbers of Myanmar migrants living in Thailand range up to six million, with a surge of new arrivals since the 2021 military coup. Read the full story, “Exiled: Myanmar’s Resistance to Junta Rule Flourishes Abroad”, on globalissues.org →

CIVICUS speaks to the Business and Human Rights Centre (BHRC) about labour rights abuses in Myanmar’s garment industry since the 2021 military coup. Read the full story, “‘Since the Coup, Factory Employers Have Increasingly Worked with the Military to Restrict Organising and Silence Workers’”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, January 28 (IPS) - As Haiti’s Transitional President Council (TPC) approaches its February 7 expiration date and the country remains without a newly elected president, humanitarian experts warn the nation risks further sliding into insecurity, raising fears of broader collapse. Read the full story, “Haiti at a Crossroads: Political Uncertainty and Gang Control Push Nation Toward Collapse”, on globalissues.org →

BERLIN, Germany, January 28 (IPS) - The United States’ attack on Venezuela marks a key watershed in the world order. We still cannot predict how this violation of another state’s sovereignty will ultimately play out. Read the full story, “Global South Demonstrates How Countries Can Deal with an Aggressive United States”, on globalissues.org →