Behind Taliban Dress Code Arrests, Afghan Activists See a Campaign to Silence Critics (++ ++ +) Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Behind Taliban Dress Code Arrests, Afghan Activists See a Campaign to Silence Critics The author is an Afghanistan-based female journalist, trained with Finnish support before the Taliban take-over. Her identity is withheld for security reasons https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/11/behind-taliban-dress-code-arrests-afghan-activists-see-a-campaign-to-silence-critics/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Pacific_Scientists_Build_a_Regional_Picture_of_a_Changing_Ocean_Wealth_Buys_Protection_in_Climate_Cr KABUL, Nov 6 2026 (IPS) - In Afghanistan, the Taliban are detaining women, even when they are wearing a hijab. Activists suspect that the issue of attire is merely a pretext used by the Taliban to hunt down critics of the regime. For women, Kabul is a city of fear. Whether they are heading to the doctor, the shops, or to visit relatives, reaching their destination is never certain. They fear checkpoints, the Taliban’s “morality police,” and the risk of being detained for wearing the “wrong” clothing or for lacking a male escort. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. - Why Geohazards Must Be Part of the Pacific’s Resilience Agenda By Daisuke Maruichi, Litea Biukoto, Emilia Gaspoz and Temily Baker https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/11/why-geohazards-must-be-part-of-the-pacifics-resilience-agenda/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Pacific_Scientists_Build_a_Regional_Picture_of_a_Changing_Ocean_Wealth_Buys_Protection_in_Climate_Cr BANGKOK, Thailand, Nov 6 2026 (IPS) - For years, global discussions of disaster risk in the Pacific have been dominated by climate change. Rising seas, intensifying cyclones and coastal erosion have rightly captured international attention. This focus, while warranted, should be complemented by greater recognition of geohazards, which are just as consequential and in many cases, more immediately devastating. Addressing this gap requires a more coordinated approach, supported by sustained investment and stronger partnerships, to foster cooperation and strengthen resilience across the Pacific. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. - Sixty Years on, UN Is Finally Interpreting Freedom of Association By Sigrid Lipott https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/11/sixty-years-on-un-is-finally-interpreting-freedom-of-association/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Pacific_Scientists_Build_a_Regional_Picture_of_a_Changing_Ocean_Wealth_Buys_Protection_in_Climate_Cr GENEVA, Nov 6 2026 (IPS) - A right under pressure No one disputes freedom of association. It is in the Constitutions of almost every country, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 22 of the ICCPR, and in regional Articles in Europe, America, and Africa. What it has never had, at the universal level, is sincere implementation by governments. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. - Kenya’s Civil Society Calls on COP31 Climate Negotiators To Draw From Grassroots By Isaiah Esipisu https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/11/kenyas-civil-society-calls-on-cop31-climate-negotiators-to-draw-from-grassroots/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Pacific_Scientists_Build_a_Regional_Picture_of_a_Changing_Ocean_Wealth_Buys_Protection_in_Climate_Cr NAIROBI, Nov 6 2026 (IPS) - As the world prepares for the 31st United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye, Kenya’s priorities for the negotiations are being shaped by lived experiences of communities who are on the frontline of the climate crisis. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. - Bad Zionist and Good Zionist? – The Arabs Should Choose the Devil They Know By Anis Chowdhury https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/11/bad-zionist-and-good-zionist-the-arabs-should-choose-the-devil-they-know/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Pacific_Scientists_Build_a_Regional_Picture_of_a_Changing_Ocean_Wealth_Buys_Protection_in_Climate_Cr SYDNEY, Nov 4 2026 (IPS) - As in previous elections, the latest Israeli national election offered people no real choice. They had to choose between bad Zionists and good Zionists. Thus, unsurprisingly, there is no clear winner – both major blocs are neck and neck as usual. The only difference this time is the Arab voting power. By uniting and turning out in record numbers, the Arab coalition secured 19 seats (nearly double the 10 it won in 2022), against the Netanyahu-led bloc’s 53 and the Gadi Eisenkot-led bloc’s 48. Neither bloc has a governable majority, so many are looking to the Arab bloc as a kingmaker, either joining formally or supporting one of the blocs on the no-confidence and supply bills. But they are on the horns of a dilemma, caught between a rock and a hard place. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Voices Perspectives on development This page in: English Français Español العربية Русский 中文 日本語 Indonesian

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/voices

From data to inference: Why AI governance matters for central banks in developing economies Kristina Miggiani May 05, 2026 This page in: English Français Español العربية 中文

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/allaboutfinance/from-data-to-inference--why-ai-governance-matters-for-central-ba Central banks are among the most data-dense public institutions. As they modernize digital payments and financial supervision, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled analytics and supervisory technology (SupTech) enable them to draw connections across the large datasets they hold. In doing so, these tools expand central banks’ ability to infer information about legal entities and individuals beyond what is directly contained in any single dataset.

Feature Stories Explore the World Bank Group's feature stories — long-form journalism and multimedia reporting on global development, poverty, climate, and human resilience.

Feature Stories Explore the World Bank Group's feature stories — long-form journalism and multimedia reporting on global development, poverty, climate, and human resilience. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature

Education and urbanization alone may not end global extreme poverty Minh Cong NguyenNishant YonzanBen BrunckhorstSotaire KwizeraChristoph LaknerGabriel Lara IbarraHenry Stemmler October 28, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/education-and-urbanization-alone-may-not-end-global-extreme-pove Counting the number of people living in extreme poverty — on less than $3 a day — is only part of the picture. We also need to understand who they are, where they live, and how their circumstances have changed. A new paper using household surveys from 154 economies, covering 96 percent of the world’s population, examines the characteristics of people living in extreme poverty from 2003 to 2024. Although extreme poverty has declined worldwide, it is increasingly concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa, fragile economies, rural communities, younger populations, and people with limited education. Advances in urbanization and education — both strongly associated with poverty reduction in East and South Asia—have produced much smaller gains in Sub-Saharan Africa.

What can the sky tell us about economic recovery? The case of the West Bank & Gaza Gianluca MeleNur Nasser EddinSahiti SarvaFarhan Reynaldo Hutabarat October 29, 2026 This page in: English العربية

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/arabvoices/what-can-the-sky-tell-us-about-economic-recovery--the-case-of-th Economic crises are usually measured through national accounts, employment surveys, business records, household data, and other traditional indicators. But what happens when conflict increases uncertainty while making conventional data harder to collect, precisely when quantitative evidence is most needed?

Palestinian tech goes to Silicon Valley Zackaria SabellaKaliza KaruretwaKaren Grigorian October 29, 2026 This page in: English العربية

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/arabvoices/palestinian-tech-goes-to-silicon-valley On the morning of September 20, 2026, fifteen Palestinian startups pitched to investors at the Ramallah Club in San Francisco, where San Francisco’s Palestinian community gathers. Some joined virtually from Ramallah and Hebron. Others were in the room. One founder walked the Bay Area audience through a travel automation platform built to navigate the logistical complexity of movement and access restrictions. Another presented an AI-powered mental health tool with users across the Arab world. A third was making the case for a food tech company that has been quietly growing through one of the most challenging periods in the West Bank’s recent history.