Are marine protected areas still home to the species they were created to conserve? UNESCO's expanded seawater sampling programme aims to help answer that question and detect changes over time ipsnews.net/2026/10/what-a-s…

UNESCO is expanding its environmental DNA programme to 30 marine protected areas, including five World Heritage Sites, using repeated seawater sampling to track changes in species distribution and assess conservation efforts ipsnews.net/2026/10/what-a-s…

Did Venezuela really lose half its oil revenues to corruption in 2021–22? Economist Francisco R. Rodríguez challenges the $11 billion estimate, arguing it conflicts with trade data ipsnews.net/2026/10/were-hal…

UNESCO is growing its environmental DNA, or eDNA, expedition programme. This ambitious and cost-effective project can give usable ocean data in a couple of weeks using a small number of seawater samples collected by citizen scientists ipsnews.net/2026/10/what-a-s…

“If we stay silent today, the next generation might lose even the hope of protesting,” says Gulsuum, an Afghan activist who continues campaigning for girls' education despite the danger ipsnews.net/2026/10/afghan-w…

Bangladesh must measure climate losses in jobs, income and productivity, not just physical damage, ✍️Shahiduzzaman. He calls for annual climate loss accounting and greater investment in prevention ipsnews.net/2026/10/banglade…

The question is no longer whether climate change is costing Bangladesh. It clearly is. The real question is how much we are losing, who is paying the price and whether the country is doing enough to prevent these losses, warns Shahiduzzaman ipsnews.net/2026/10/banglade…

Members of Afghanistan's Kabul Critical Thinking Movement conceal their identities and publish protest videos and statements online, knowing that discovery could endanger them and their families ipsnews.net/2026/10/afghan-w…

An average of 100 marine species can be identified from a single litre of filtered seawater. This kind of information allows us to see and know whether conservation and protection are happening in the right place, says UNESCO scientist Saara Suominen ipsnews.net/2026/10/what-a-s…

Once a law student and teacher, 28-year-old Gulsuum lost her studies and job under Taliban restrictions. Now she secretly campaigns online for Afghan women's rights, concealing her identity for safety ipsnews.net/2026/10/afghan-w…

Afghan women are defying Taliban restrictions through clandestine online protests, risking reprisals as they demand education, freedom and human rights ipsnews.net/2026/10/afghan-w…

Afghan women have resorted to online protests as their only available recourse, even though the risks of being caught are high and carry enormous consequences ipsnews.net/2026/10/afghan-w…

The countries that contributed least to global emissions are forced to borrow heavily just to rebuild after climate disasters they did not cause, while servicing debts that limit investment in climate resilience,✍️@jalixmichel ipsnews.net/2026/10/from-sma…

“How green is the transition, really?” asks Sámi leader Anders S. Buljo, as wind farms, mines and other developments take up land traditionally used for reindeer herding ipsnews.net/2026/10/the-sami…

The Sámi, Europe’s last recognised Indigenous community, have faced threats to their existence throughout history. Norway, in 2024, apologised for its forced assimilation policy, and in September 2026 Sweden has recently been told to do the same ipsnews.net/2026/10/the-sami…

Taliban systematic exclusion of women and girls from education and public life is a primary driver of Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis, with alarming implications for access to healthcare, nutrition, education, and the ability to sustain livelihoods ipsnews.net/2026/10/as-winte…

Afghanistan hunger crisis is not simply about whether food exists, but whether people can afford it, earn an income, access basic services, or whether they have anything left to fall back on when the next shock comes, says Olga Cherevko, @UNOCHA ipsnews.net/2026/10/as-winte…

A selection of this week’s most-read and most important stories: ➡️The Eradication of Extreme Poverty by 2030: a Key UN Goal will be a Missed Target; ➡️As Winter Approaches, Afghanistan Faces Record Hunger and Mounting Human Rights Abuses; and more👇 ow.ly/GCAv5100rQh

Despite recent rainfall improvements and promising harvests, widespread unemployment and weak purchasing power still keep adequate nutrition out of reach for millions of Afghans, even when it is available ipsnews.net/2026/10/as-winte…

Afghanistan is trapped in a “deadly” hunger crisis with “no end in sight,” as humanitarian needs rise while aid funding dries up: 4.04 million children under five will require treatment for acute malnutrition in 2027, warns Ashish Damle, Save the Children ipsnews.net/2026/10/as-winte…