Russia’s plan to annex four occupied regions in Ukraine would be an illegal move, a violation of international law, and should be condemned, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday, warning of a “dangerous escalation” in the seven-month war.
Two months since the Black Sea Grain Initiative kicked into action to help release desperately needed grain and fertilizer from ports in Ukraine and Russia, confidence is returning among global distributors as exports ramp up, UN humanitarians said on Thursday.
How shipping can contribute to a more sustainable future for all is the focus of World Maritime Day, celebrated on Thursday.

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UNITED NATIONS, Sep 30 (IPS) - The Kremlin has announced that a ceremony will take place Friday in Moscow that will launch a process of annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 30 (IPS) - When the UN’s high-level meeting of world leaders concluded last week, the head count seemed lopsided: 190 speakers, including 76 Heads of State, 50 Heads of Government, 4 Vice-Presidents, 5 Deputy Prime Ministers, 48 Ministers and 7 Heads of Delegations—overwhelmingly male.
Johannesburg, Sep 29 (IPS) - Child marriage continues to be a scourge in many African countries – despite legislation and efforts of many, including parliamentarians, to keep girls in school and create brighter futures for them. This was the view of participants in a recent webinar held under the auspices of the African Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (FPA) and UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO).
SALAKPUR, Nepal, Sep 29 (IPS) - Two and a half hours’ drive north from Kakarbhitta, Nepal’s eastern-most border crossing with giant neighbour India, lies the hilly hamlet of Salakpur where lives Kaushila Moktan, a famed farmer of large cardamom.