UNITED NATIONS, Sep 20 2024 (IPS)* –This year has been the worst for the Amazon rainforest in almost two decades. Although there has been a measured decline in deforestation when compared to 2023, forest fires have ravaged acres of critical ecosystems.
For the first eight months of this year, the Amazon has seen routine forest fires, totalling to over 53,000 recorded instances.
Greenpeace Brazil conducted an aerial survey in southern Amazonas and northern Rondônia to monitor deforestation and fires in July 2024. Credit: Marizilda Cruppe / Greenpeace
(UN News)* —In the heart of Colombia, where the scars of conflict run deep, a remarkable transformation is taking place. Farmers, once displaced and dispossessed, are reclaiming their land, rebuilding their communities, and forging a path towards a more peaceful and prosperous future with the support of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Laura Quinones | Saray Zuñiga sits on a swing at the eco-park built thanks the FAO-Sweden project.
The sun beats down on the fertile fields of Bolívar, Colombia, where lush green valleys stretch towards the distant Andes mountains. It’s a picture of idyllic rural life, but beneath the surface lies a complex and painful past. For decades, this region was ravaged by armed conflict, leaving communities shattered and livelihoods destroyed.
SYDNEY, NEW YORK, Sep 16 2024 (IPS)** – Bangladesh’s White Paper committee will review foreign loan deals signed by the fallen kleptocratic regime.
Anis Chowdhury
We recommend that it identifies and declares the loans or portions of loans that did not benefit the nation as unpayable, because they were siphoned off the country by corrupt politically powerful elites, or worse used to buy deadly weapons and surveillance equipment to oppress people.
Such loans are “odious” – they stink and are detestable.
It is not clear if sufficient courage will be summoned to even include the loans from the international organisations and significant and powerful donor countries.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 