Global Issues

WASHINGTON DC, January 30 (IPS) - India’s productivity growth over the past two decades has been impressive, reflecting rapid expansion in high-value services, gradual efficiency-enhancing reforms, and scale advantages from a large domestic market. Read the full story, “Business Growth and Innovation Can Boost India’s Productivity”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, January 30 (IPS) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was dead on target when he told the Security Council last week that the rule of law worldwide is being replaced by the law of the jungle.“We see flagrant violations of international law and brazen disregard for the UN Charter. From Gaza to Ukraine, and around the world, the rule of law is being treated as an à la carte menu,” he pointed out, as mass killings continue. Read the full story, “The UN is Being Undermined by the Law of the Jungle”, on globalissues.org →

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 →

When the United States ordered airstrikes on Christmas Day against Islamist militants in northern Nigeria, officials in Washington said the action was aimed at protecting Christians facing threats of violence. Read the full story, “Violence roiling Nigeria extends beyond religious lines, amid a deepening humanitarian crisis”, on globalissues.org →

The world's youngest country, South Sudan, is facing continued instability and violence as military escalation looms, following reports earlier this week that a senior army commander had called on troops to inflict indiscriminate violence against civilians in Jonglei state.Read the full story, “UN chief ‘deeply concerned’ by escalation of violence in South Sudan”, 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 →