Midwives: The Workforce That Will Determine Maternal and Newborn Survival and Africa’s Future By Diene Keita and Jean Kaseya (++++++) Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Midwives: The Workforce That Will Determine Maternal and Newborn Survival and Africa’s Future By Diene Keita and Jean Kaseya NEW YORK / ADDIS ABABA, Sep 7 2026 (IPS) - Tonight, thousands of women across Africa will give birth. Whether they survive to see daylight will largely depend on where they live, how quickly they reach care, and whether the health system around them is ready to respond. Maternal deaths in Africa have dropped 40 percent since 2000, but progress is now stalling. Africa still accounts for more than 70 percent of all maternal deaths worldwide. A woman facing pregnancy complications on the continent is around 130 times more likely to die than a woman in Europe or North America. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/midwives-the-workforce-that-will-determine-maternal-and-newborn-survival-and-africas-future/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=US_Plans_to_Restrict_Foreign_Journalists_Trigger_Rising_Protests_Nepalese_Experts_Victims_Contemplat Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. - Bridging Digital Transformation in an ASEAN-EAEU Cooperation By Ruhimat Soerakoesoemah, Andrey Panteleev and Philip Diamant BANGKOK, Thailand, Sep 7 2026 (IPS) - Physical borders are shrinking, and digital ones are quietly taking their place. As governments use digital transformation as a powerful driver of economic and sustainable development, the challenge is no longer simply a digital divide between those with technology and those without it. It is a question of digital fragmentation, where infrastructure, standards and regulations make cross-border cooperation more difficult. This raises an important question of how economies in Asia and the Pacific can pursue digital sovereignty while remaining connected to trade, innovate and develop together. One promising answer lies in closer cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Both regions are trying to build stronger digital capabilities while keeping their economies open to cross-border trade. Despite their different economic structures and development pathways, the two blocs share many of the same digital ambitions and challenges. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/bridging-digital-transformation-in-an-asean-eaeu-cooperation/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=US_Plans_to_Restrict_Foreign_Journalists_Trigger_Rising_Protests_Nepalese_Experts_Victims_Contemplat Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. - Nuclear Victims’ Experiences Must Be at the Heart of Global Efforts for Assistance and Remediation By Naureen Hossain UNITED NATIONS, Sep 7 2026 (IPS) - More and more, global disarmament discussions are encompassing the humanitarian and environmental impacts of the testing and use of nuclear weapons, as it becomes clear that the legacy of nuclear weapons leaves its mark on multiple generations. This was the purpose of the international meeting on ‘Victims Assistance and Environmental Remediation’ for countries affected by nuclear weapons. The meeting, held on September 1 in UN Headquarters, convened member states, academia, and civil society organizations, along with representatives from communities directly affected by nuclear weapons use and testing. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/nuclear-victims-experiences-must-be-at-the-heart-of-global-efforts-for-assistance-and-remediation/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=US_Plans_to_Restrict_Foreign_Journalists_Trigger_Rising_Protests_Nepalese_Experts_Victims_Contemplat Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. - LIECHTENSTEIN: ‘We Have One of the Strictest Abortion Bans in Europe’ By CIVICUS Sep 7 2026 (IPS) - CIVICUS discusses struggles for abortion rights in Liechtenstein with Gabriella Alvarez-Hummel, a journalist and reproductive rights activist who works with Fristenlösung für Liechtenstein, an organisation that campaigns for the introduction of a legal time-limit abortion model. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/liechtenstein-we-have-one-of-the-strictest-abortion-bans-in-europe/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=US_Plans_to_Restrict_Foreign_Journalists_Trigger_Rising_Protests_Nepalese_Experts_Victims_Contemplat Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. - UNGA 81: A United Nations at a Turning Point By Justina Kaluinaitė NEW YORK, Sep 7 2026 (IPS) - The 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA81) opens tomorrow at a particularly important moment for multilateralism. The UN80 reform initiative has entered what the Secretary-General describes as a decisive phase. Member States are selecting the next Secretary-General. The 2030 Agenda is entering its final four years, while conversations about what should follow it are beginning. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/unga-81-a-united-nations-at-a-turning-point/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=US_Plans_to_Restrict_Foreign_Journalists_Trigger_Rising_Protests_Nepalese_Experts_Victims_Contemplat Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. - Trump’s “Comprehensive” Gaza Peace Plan a Cover for Genocide By Anis Chowdhury SYDNEY, Sep 8 2026 (IPS) - It is nearly a year since the UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 2803 on 17 November, 2025, endorsing President Trump’s 20-point framework ostensibly designed to end the war in Gaza and create a roadmap for long-term stability. It is not clear what progress has been made. In August 2026 The Jerusalem Post reported “the IDF continues almost daily strikes in Gaza”, killing more than 1,200 Palestinians since the US-brokered ceasefire deal came into effect, seizing more territory, and continuing to restrict the movement of people and goods into and out of Gaza. Nickolay Mladenov, the UN High Representative on the Board of Peace, wrote in early August 2026 that “two days of strikes across Gaza have killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies that people depend on”. Ironically, this genocidal strike happened only a few days after a US-brokered Hamas disarmament deal, which Trump called, “a monumental step” towards peace and security. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/trumps-comprehensive-gaza-peace-plan-a-cover-for-genocide/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=US_Plans_to_Restrict_Foreign_Journalists_Trigger_Rising_Protests_Nepalese_Experts_Victims_Contemplat Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. 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UN Declares International Day to Eliminate Child Marriage By Naureen Hossain Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

UN Declares International Day to Eliminate Child Marriage By Naureen Hossain UNITED NATIONS, Sep 4 2026 (IPS) - As the 80th session of the UN General Assembly draws to a close, one of the final items in its agenda was to establish an annual observance for the elimination of child marriage, raising the global profile of a pervasive social issue. On Friday, the General Assembly unanimously adopted resolution A/80/L.99, which establishes 27 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early, and Forced Marriage, an effort initiated by Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children, and championed by Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/un-declares-international-day-to-eliminate-child-marriage/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=US_Plans_to_Restrict_Foreign_Journalists_Trigger_Rising_Protests_Nepalese_Experts_Victims_Contemplat Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Africa’s Rangelands Are the Frontline of Resilience – COP17 Showed Why By Samson Kuraru Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Africa’s Rangelands Are the Frontline of Resilience – COP17 Showed Why By Samson Kuraru NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 4 2026 (IPS) - Across the Kenya-Tanzania rangelands, communities have long understood a reality that the global community is increasingly recognising: healthy rangelands support livelihoods, wildlife, water resources and local economies. They are among Africa’s most important natural assets and a foundation for resilience in a changing climate. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/africas-rangelands-are-the-frontline-of-resilience-cop17-showed-why/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=US_Plans_to_Restrict_Foreign_Journalists_Trigger_Rising_Protests_Nepalese_Experts_Victims_Contemplat Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Nepalese Experts, Victims Contemplate the Future After the Flood By Sunita Neupane Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Nepalese Experts, Victims Contemplate the Future After the Flood By Sunita Neupane KATHMANDU, Sep 4 2026 (IPS) - That day, Subash Tamang was mining sand along the banks of the Trishuli River near the Trishuli Hydropower Project, working alongside his wife, brother, sister-in-law, and two other family members. Suddenly, he noticed water gushing down from above the hydropower site. His first thought was that the dam had burst. In an instant, everything changed. He and his family dropped everything and ran toward the river, desperate to save their lives. But then he saw something even more terrifying—huge waves of water were surging from the other side too, carrying clouds of dust and thick black mud. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/nepalese-experts-victims-contemplate-the-future-after-the-flood/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=US_Plans_to_Restrict_Foreign_Journalists_Trigger_Rising_Protests_Nepalese_Experts_Victims_Contemplat Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

WHO Announces New Ebola Vaccine Guidelines for the DRC By Shreya Komar Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

WHO Announces New Ebola Vaccine Guidelines for the DRC By Shreya Komar UNITED NATIONS, Sep 4 2026 (IPS) - While Uganda announced the end of its Ebola outbreak last week, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to battle its deadliest Ebola outbreak to date. As of September 1st, there have been over 6,000 cases, including over 3,000 deaths, with Ituri standing as the most affected province. In a post on X on September 2, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General for the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed his concern that most deaths were still occurring in communities rather than in treatment centres, and among people who were not known contacts. This implies that there may be several methods of transmission that are unknown and several underreported cases. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/who-announces-new-ebola-vaccine-guidelines-for-the-drc/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=US_Plans_to_Restrict_Foreign_Journalists_Trigger_Rising_Protests_Nepalese_Experts_Victims_Contemplat Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Beyond the Death Penalty Debate: Human Dignity and Justice in Japan By Katsuhiro Asagiri Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Beyond the Death Penalty Debate: Human Dignity and Justice in Japan By Katsuhiro Asagiri TOKYO, Japan, Sep 8 2026 (IPS) - A symposium examining Japan’s death penalty through the lens of human dignity was held on September 5 at Joseph Hall of St. Ignatius Church in Yotsuya, Tokyo. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/beyond-the-death-penalty-debate-human-dignity-and-justice-in-japan/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=US_Plans_to_Restrict_Foreign_Journalists_Trigger_Rising_Protests_Nepalese_Experts_Victims_Contemplat Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

What 1.5°C Overshoot Means for Small Islands By Alison Kentish Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

What 1.5°C Overshoot Means for Small Islands By Alison Kentish The world is expected to breach a temperature threshold long regarded by small island states as a line of survival. A new UNEP report examines what comes next and why every fraction of a degree still matters. CASTRIES, Saint Lucia, Sep 8 2026 (IPS) - The world is now expected to breach the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit that small island states have spent years defending as a threshold for survival. For people in the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean, the consequences will not begin only when islands disappear beneath the sea. They include saltwater intrusion into freshwater supplies and agricultural land, coral reef loss, more damaging coastal flooding and mounting pressure on already limited resources for recovery and adaptation. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/what-1-5c-overshoot-means-for-small-islands/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=US_Plans_to_Restrict_Foreign_Journalists_Trigger_Rising_Protests_Nepalese_Experts_Victims_Contemplat Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -