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Egyptian government legalizes 293 churches, reinforcing religious inclusivity


Under Article 8 of Law No. 80, which governs the construction and restoration of churches in Egypt, the government continues to support religious institutions by aligning them with legal standards.




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Pope Francis meets wounded Israeli soldier at Vatican


A Vatican official arranged the encounter in Sheba, where he met with civilians and soldiers injured in the ongoing conflict, including Alon Kaminer, an Israeli soldier.




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Tel Aviv Spirit Festival explores mindfulness, resilience, and healing from trauma


Spirit Film Festival brings films on resilience, spirituality, and healing to Tel Aviv.




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Trump announces former Gov. Mike Huckabee nominated as ambassador to Israel


Huckabee is a former Southern Baptist Pastor and a former Trump challenger who ran in the 2016 presidential election. 




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Africa: Climate Change Finance, Natural Capital Accounting By African Countries, Top African Development Bank Group's Agenda At Cop 29

[African Development Bank (AfDB)] The world's largest annual climate conference opens in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday, with African nations ramping up efforts to tackle climate change. At COP29, the African Development Bank aims to mobilize additional resources for climate action in Africa and launch a bold new approach to assessing African economies by including their "green wealth."




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Africa: Aid Workers Are Increasingly Seen As Fair Game in Violent Conflicts

[ISS] In Gaza and several African countries, protection failures see local aid workers bearing the brunt of this alarming trend.




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Kenya: Impasse Persists On Revenue Sharing As MPs Demand Withdrawal of Road Maintenance Fund Case

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- The Politics surrounding the control of the Sh10.5 billion Road Maintenance Levy Fund between MPs and Governors has continued to stall talks to iron out the stalemate over the equitable revenue share to the devolved units.




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Ethiopia: CPJ's Five-Year Review Reveals Significant Decline in Press Freedom Since Ethiopia's Last Review

[Addis Standard] Addis Abeba -- The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) presented to the UN's Human Rights Council a five-year review of press freedom in Ethiopia ahead of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Ethiopia at the 47th Session taking place today by the UN's Human Rights Council.




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Sudan: Allies of Warring Generals 'Enabling the Slaughter,' Security Council Hears

[UN News] The people of Sudan face an ever-deepening crisis as the relentless war between rival militaries pushes the country further into chaos, the UN's top political affairs official told the Security Council on Tuesday, underscoring that a ceasefire and a negotiated political solution remain the only viable path to peace.




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Cancer medication funding to be taken over by health ministry from community chest fund

Responsibility for the funding of cancer medication is set to be taken over by the Health Ministry from the Malta Community Chest Fund • Minister announces Paola Health Hub set to launch operations this week




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Children lay out their vision for Malta in conference with national leaders

Malta ESG Alliance holds ISIMGħUNA conference to bring children and national leaders together to talk about the country's future




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Viewpoints: Thailand's State of Emergency

Escalating protests and violence in Thailand have led the government to institute a state of emergency.




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Capacity Building Is Key to Africa’s Digital Sequencing Success Story

Christian Tiambo has always wished to uplift local farmers’ communities through cutting-edge science. As climate change wreaked havoc on local agriculture, Tiambo, a livestock scientist at the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) and at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), focused on conserving and developing livestock that could withstand environmental stress. Genomics, […]




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Empowering Change & Resilience: Social Protection in the Age of Megatrends

Social protection systems are essential to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, social protection is insufficient across Asia and the Pacific, and the region is at risk from megatrends: climate change, demographic shifts and digitalization. Tens of millions of people have been pushed into extreme poverty since COVID-19, reversing past gains, and many […]



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  • Development & Aid
  • Economy & Trade
  • Featured
  • Headlines
  • IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse
  • Sustainable Development Goals
  • TerraViva United Nations
  • IPS UN Bureau

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“Escalation Dominance” . . . and the Prospect of More Than 1,000 Holocausts

Everything is at stake. Everything is at stake with nuclear weapons. While working as a nuclear war planner for the Kennedy administration, Daniel Ellsberg was shown a document calculating that a U.S. nuclear attack on communist countries would result in 600 million dead. As he put it later: “A hundred Holocausts.” That was in 1961. […]




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Strategic Patience can Mitigate Conflict Between Israel & Iran

How will Israel respond to Iran’s recent ballistic missiles barrage? “Strategic patience” is the best course. Israel has its hands full with Hamas and Hezbollah. Now is not the time to escalate a new major war with Iran, which could have nuclear implications. Israeli intelligence is still chafing from its failure to preempt Hamas’ attack […]




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Stigmatization is the Entry Door for Repression and Violence

Information manipulation and misinformation are not new phenomena, but they have taken on exaggerated importance, especially with the massive use of social media. Hostile and stigmatizing narratives against civil society and civic activism, whether intentional or not, especially when propagated by authorities, create undue restrictions and hinder the exercise of the rights to freedom of […]




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The IMF Just Made the Case for its Own Irrelevance

This month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had an opportunity to end one of its most reviled policies and lift billions of dollars of debt off the backs of crisis-stricken developing countries. It chose not to. The IMF’s ostensible mission is to promote financial stability by providing loans to countries facing economic challenges or crises. […]



  • Development & Aid
  • Economy & Trade
  • Featured
  • Global
  • Headlines
  • IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse
  • Sustainable Development Goals
  • TerraViva United Nations
  • IPS UN Bureau

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Viewpoints: Is Tax Avoidance Destroying America?

Why don't the rich pay their fair share in taxes?




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Viewpoints: Donald Trump Denies Existence of Climate Change

Donald Trump has claimed he doesn't believe in climate change, but that didn't stop him from citing it as a reason to build a sea wall to protect one of his golf courses.




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Americans Who Gained Health Insurance Coverage Under the ACA by State

According to an analysis by the Urban Institute, between 2010 and 2015, more than 19 million non-elderly people gained health insurance under the  Affordable Care Act. The top 10 states that ranked the highest based on percent of total population insured through the A.C.A. are Nevada (1), California (2), Oregon (3), Kentucky (4), New Mexico (5), West Virginia (6), Florida (7), Arkansas (8), Colorado (9), and Washington (10).




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Gov't ready for calamity response; staff fatigue a big concern - OCD

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) on Wednesday said the government is ready to respond to the effects of typhoons in the coming days and weeks of the year. OCD head Ariel Nepomuceno, however, admitted that the consecutive storms/typhoons in the past few weeks are unprecedented, even in the current system the government has for disaster response. “Nakalatag naman ‘yung sistema natin, although admittedly itong sistema natin hindi na-assume ‘yung ganitong scenario, bago rin sa’tin ito,” said Nepomuceno during a Kapihan sa Manila Hotel briefing. (Our system is in place, although admittedly our system did not […]...

Keep on reading: Gov't ready for calamity response; staff fatigue a big concern - OCD




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BIR to monitor online sellers' tax compliance during holiday season

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will closely monitor the tax compliance of online marketplaces and online sellers during the holiday season, Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. has said. In a statement Wednesday, Lumagui warned that online businesses violating tax laws would be blocked. Section 115 of the National Internal Revenue Code, as […]...

Keep on reading: BIR to monitor online sellers' tax compliance during holiday season




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Orphanage to lose licence over abuse

An orphanage foundation in Chiang Mai will have its licence revoked by the Social Development and Human Security Ministry (MSDHS) following a complaint alleging that its employees mistreated children between the ages of three and six, according to Minister Varawut Silpa-archa.





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Flights cancelled to and from Indonesia's Bali due to volcanic ash

DENPASAR — Several international airlines cancelled flights to and from Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Wednesday, after further eruptions of a volcano that has spewed ash clouds as high as 10 kilometres (32,808 feet) and forced thousands to evacuate.




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Finance Ministry eyes 2025 GDP growth of 3.5%, plans more stimulus

Thailand is targeting economic growth of 3.5% in 2025 after 2.7% growth seen this year, and the government will soon consider more stimulus measures and the rollout of phase two of its US$14 billion handout scheme, the finance minister said on Wednesday.




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EU Delivers Military Aid to Boost Somalia's Fight Against Insurgency

[Radio Dalsan] The European Union (EU) handed over a fleet of military vehicles and equipment to the Somali government on Tuesday, at the General Dhagabadan Training Camp in Mogadishu.




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Somalia's Intelligence Agency Arrests Two Al-Shabaab Affiliates in Mogadishu

[Shabelle] Mogadishu, Somalia -- The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) of Somalia announced on Thursday the arrest of two men with ties to the militant group Al-Shabaab in the capital city of Mogadishu.




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Somalia's Council of Ministers Steps Up Anti-Terrorism and Money Laundering Efforts

[Shabelle] Mogadishu, Somalia -- In its weekly session, Somalia's Council of Ministers, under the leadership of Prime Minister Hamsa Abdi Barre, delved into a comprehensive review of the nation's strategies and achievements in combating terrorism and financial crimes.




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Egypt Hosts Launch of Major Somalia Urban Development Initiative

[Shabelle] Cairo, Egypt -- Somalia took a significant step towards addressing its internal displacement crisis with the launch of the "Saameynta: Scaling Solutions to Displacement through Financing Inclusive Urban Development" during the World Urban Forum in Cairo on Thursday.




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Somali Intelligence Agency Nisa Reports Killing 23 Al-Shabaab Militants in Operation

[Shabelle] Mogadishu -- Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) conducted a targeted operation in the Dharaarweyn area near Galcad city, within the Galgaduud region.




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Israel's strikes on Iran spark interest in air-launched ballistic missiles


Cruise missiles are easier targets for dense, integrated air defenses than ballistic missiles are. But ballistic missiles are often fired from known launch points.





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IDF uncovers Hezbollah training center near UNIFIL post, counters UN claim of operating within post


The IDF reiterated that it seeks to operate against Hezbollah's infrastructure and capabilities to push the group away from southern Lebanon.




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With over 4,500 cubic meters of concrete: IDF dismantles Hezbollah compound beneath cemetery


While operating in the area, soldiers from the Shaldag Unit identified several tunnel shafts leading to the compound, which led to the exposure of the full tunnel. 




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Saudi crown prince condemns Israel's attacks on Palestinians as 'genocide'


Saudi Arabia's crown prince condemned Israel's "genocide" in Gaza at a Riyadh summit, stressing support for Palestine and pausing US-led normalization talks after recent violent escalations.




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US carried out strikes against Iranian-linked targets in Syria, CENTCOM announces


The strikes were in response to attacks on US personnel over the past 24 hours, CENTCOM reported.




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Afghanistan's Taliban to attend their first UN climate conference

Afghanistan's Taliban to attend their first UN climate conference




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The monkeys that science has experimented on for over a century

The monkeys that science has experimented on for over a century




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Donald Trump announces Tom Homan as new 'border czar'

Donald Trump announces Tom Homan as new 'border czar'




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Slackliners set world record, balancing at 2,500 metres high between hot air balloons

Slackliners set world record, balancing at 2,500 metres high between hot air balloons




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King Charles leads Remembrance Sunday ceremony

King Charles leads Remembrance Sunday ceremony




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North Korea finalises landmark defence pact with Russia

North Korea finalises landmark defence pact with Russia




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At least 22 killed in Lebanon and Gaza strikes as Israeli defence minister rejects ceasefire

At least 22 killed in Lebanon and Gaza strikes as Israeli defence minister rejects ceasefire




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Aliyev criticises Western nations' stance on fossil fuels at COP29 opening speech

Aliyev criticises Western nations' stance on fossil fuels at COP29 opening speech




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Trump says Musk, Ramaswamy will form outside group to advise White House on government efficiency

Trump says Musk, Ramaswamy will form outside group to advise White House on government efficiency




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Israel’s Moves to Ban UNRWA—Signals Uncertainty for Affected Palestinians

The decision of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, to adopt two laws that would severely limit or outright ban UNRWA has the potential to set a dangerous precedent, where countries can simply implement their own justification to ban the activity of the United Nations, even if it violates their obligations under international humanitarian law. Even with […]




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World Inequality Still Rising Despite Some Convergence

Despite earlier income convergence among nations, many low-income countries (LICs) and people are falling further behind. Worse, the number of poor and hungry has been increasing again after declining for decades. After the post-Second World War ‘Golden Age’ ended over half a century ago, the world has seen unequal and uneven economic growth, industrialisation, and […]




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The Church and Pseudo-Tolerance