(UN News)* — A massive assistance mission for earthquake survivors continued in Afghanistan on Wednesday [] as aid teams tackled blocked roads and downed communications lines in a bid to reach the most remote communities still in need of help.
Latest updates from UN assessment teams who reached affected communities in mountainous Ghazi Abad district on foot on Tuesday [2 September 2025] underscored the urgent need to press on with the humanitarian response.
“The issue of getting people out from under the rubble is urgent,” said Salam Al-Jabani from the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, in Kabul.
“People are saying what is urgently needed is people to help us bury the dead and get them out.”
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 3 2025 (IPS)* –– Over the past decade, major strides have been made in expanding global access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, with billions of people around the world seeing improvements in overall health and well-being.
A woman pulls a floating toilet into the lake in Kaylar village in Shan State, Myanmar, on June 25, 2025. After the earthquake, the onset of the rainy season made access to safe sanitation challenging for displaced communities. Credit: UNICEF/Maung Nyan
Despite these gains, people largely from low-income countries and marginalized groups still lack access to clean water, leaving them vulnerable to disease and hindering social development and inclusion.
(UN News)* — Conditions in Gaza are worsening for Palestinians trapped amid spiralling hunger as Israel continues to block aid deliveries amid escalate attacks, according to the latest updates on Tuesday [] from UN agencies on the ground.
“Military activities continue in and around Gaza City, but also in the south, taking a heavy toll on civilians, including deaths, injuries and further displacement,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric at the daily press briefing in New York: “Our colleagues report that people continue to flee, mainly towards the coast.”
More than 76,000 people have been newly displaced since mid-August, with most occurring in the north, he said, citing the latest reports from UN agencies on the ground that are monitoring population movements. More than 23,000 people were displaced from northern Gaza.
TORONTO, Sep 2 2025 (IPS)* –– If European colonialism had never happened in Canada, matriarchy would still have been strong in Indigenous culture. Matriarchy was the backbone of society’s structure and line of dominance in Turtle Island (North America) before the arrival of Westerners.
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Indigenous People’s Celebration in Canada. Photo courtesy of Chrystal Tabobandung
In practice, Indigenous women in Canada have been victims of violence and discrimination.
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