Page 103 - Lobal Issues News Today

PARAÍSO, México, Sep 26 (IPS) - At the entrance to the municipality of Paraíso, in the southeastern Mexican state of Tabasco, there is a traffic circle that displays three things that are emblematic of the area: crabs, pelicans and mangroves.

In remarks on Tuesday to the UN General Assembly, Syrian Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Bassam Sabbagh underscored the need to build a multipolar world order that achieves sustainable development for all and balance in international relations, including through reforming institutions such as the Security Council.

The health of our planet, its people, institutions, and the global economy are at serious risk, and such deep challenges cannot be tackled in isolation, Robert Rae, Ambassador of Canada to the United Nations, told the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate on Tuesday.

PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN, Sep 26 (IPS) - “We are under extreme stress about skyrocketing prices of essential edible commodities and the cost of gas and electricity. The situation is becoming worse because every day. We must pay more for wheat flour, sugar, tea, milk, oil, etc.,” Azizullah Khan, a civil servant, says.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Sep 27 (IPS) - In recent years, public-private partnerships (PPPs) have spread rapidly. While usually profitable for the private partners, PPPs have generally not served the longer-term public interest.

The “west-led irrational structure” of the UN Security Council must be reformed to prevent the “high-handedness and arbitrariness” of forces within the body, including the United States, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) told the General Assembly on Tuesday.

The General Assembly’s annual debate concluded on Tuesday, with global leaders stating that while the United Nations faces institutional challenges, it remains the paramount platform for crafting collective solutions to humanity’s challenges.

Anxiety, emotional distress and even child suicide are among the damaging consequences of cyberbullying, and better prevention strategies involving big tech must be developed, the UN Human Rights Council heard on Wednesday.

BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE, Sep 27 (IPS) - Zimbabwe is riding a wave of food security assurances after what officials said was last year’s bumper grain harvest, but recent El Niño forecasts could test the country’s agriculture production ambitions.

When “geopolitical mistrust and competition” has pushed the nuclear risk to Cold War levels, total elimination of such weapons is the only route to a peaceful future, the UN chief has said.