(UN News)* — The UN human rights office (OHCHR) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has warned of an alarming rise in violence and restrictions by Israeli settlers and security forces against Palestinian farmers, as the crucial olive harvest season gets underway.
Ajith Sunghay said on Tuesday [] that “settler violence has skyrocketed in scale and frequency, with the acquiescence, support, and in many cases participation, of Israeli security forces – and always with impunity.”
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In the first half of 2025 alone, there were 757 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage — a 13 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.
SANTIAGO, Oct 22 2025 (IPS)* –Desalination projects are booming in Chile, with 51 plants planned to process seawater and a combined investment of US$ 24.455 billion. However, these initiatives hardly benefit small-scale farmers, who are threatened by the prolonged drought, and cause environmental concerns.
View of a plant owned by Aguas Antofagasta, a company created 20 years ago that now has three desalination plants to supply drinking water to 184,000 families in that desert city in northern Chile. Credit: Courtesy of Acades
As humanitarian aid dries up, these countries are especially vulnerable
Afghanistan
People lining up for WFP assistance in earthquake-hit eastern Afghanistan. The country faces soaring needs – even as WFP assistance is being deeply cut. Photo: WFP/Arete/Muktar Nikrawa
There are 9.5 million food-insecure people in Afghanistan – a number that WFP fears will rise. WFP has a US$622 million funding shortfall over the next six months.
(UN News)* — Women and girls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are trapped in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and face rampant insecurity, a senior United Nations official warned on Tuesday [] following a visit to the country.
Speaking to journalists at the UN Office at Geneva, Shoko Arakaki, director of humanitarian affairs at the UN reproductive health agency (UNFPA), said that essential services have been severely disrupted, while incidents of rape and conflict-related sexual violence have surged by a third compared to last year.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 