More than one-third of Nigerian adults suffer from hypertension, a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Excess salt intake contributes significantly to these conditions. Credit: Shutterstock By Ifeanyi NsoforWASHINGTON DC, May 14 2025 – In Nigeria, salt is deeply woven into the fabric of food and culture. It brings out flavor, preserves ingredients, and enhances...

Organic waste being composted at a community-led waste management facility in Sesdan village of Gianyar regency, Bali. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS By Stella PaulGIANYAR, Bali, May 14 2025 – It was Christmas Eve last year when visitors across several tourism hotspots in Bali woke up to a ghastly scene they hadn’t expected: layers of cans, bags, bottles, and driftwood covering their favorite sandy...

By CIVICUSMay 14 2025 –   CIVICUS discusses Romania’s presidential election with Anda Serban, Executive Director of Resource Center for Public Participation (CERE), a civil society organisation (CSO) that focuses on public participation and transparency in decision-making processes. Romania has experienced a dramatic shift in its political landscape following the presidential election...

By External SourceMay 14 2025 (IPS-Partners)   Tom Fletcher is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, OCHA. He started his official duties on 18 November 2024. Prior to taking up this role, Fletcher was the Principal of Hertford College at Oxford (2020-2024) and Vice Chair of Oxford University’s Conference of Colleges (2022-2024)....

Livestock in eastern Mauritania are dying due to drought. Credit: UNHCR/Caroline Irby By Danielle NierenbergBALTIMORE, Maryland, May 14 2025 – Here’s a question: Over the past 40 years, what natural disaster has affected more people around the globe than any other? The answer, according the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is drought. The past 10 years have been the hottest...

An amendment to Hungary’s constitution includes the banning and criminalisation of Pride marches and their organisers. Credit: Sara Rampazzo/Unsplash By Ed HoltBRATISLAVA, May 13 2025 – A controversial amendment to Hungary’s constitution has left the country’s LGBTQI community both defiant and fearful, rights groups have said. The amendment, passed by parliament on April 14, includes,...

Credit: UN Photo/Laura Jarriel By Antonio GuterresUNITED NATIONS, May 13 2025 – Next month marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations Charter. The Charter is our roadmap to a better world – our owner’s manual setting out purposes and principles – and our practical guide to advancing the three pillars of our work: peace and security, development and human rights. Anniversaries are...

By Thalif DeenUNITED NATIONS, May 13 2025 – A six-page internal document, marked “STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL” on every single page – indicating restricted access to protect sensitive information– is one of the most comprehensive “compilation of non-attributable suggestions by the UN80 Task Force” on the proposed restructuring of the world body. The memo says “the progressive proliferation...

Dr James Fletcher (left) and Ramón Méndez Galain (right) at the launch of the REN21 Renewable Energy Champions Initiative in Miami. Credit: Alison Kentish/IPS By Alison KentishMIAMI, Florida, USA, May 12 2025 – The Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), a global network that advances renewable energy through collaboration and knowledge sharing, has named Dr James Fletcher...