In Lebanon, the same fears and dangers persist despite ceasefire: UNHCR
This article is published in association with United Nations. Death and destruction have continued unabated in Lebanon while communities are still unable to return to their homes despite a ceasefire that began on 17 April, humanitarians said on Tuesday. “Civilians in the south of Lebanon and parts of the Bekaa [Valley] are really living with the […]
Discharge: MEPs sign off on the management of the EU’s budget in 2024
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. MEPs approve the Commission’s management of the 2024 EU budget but warn that rule of law backsliding in several member states is harming the use of EU funds. On Wednesday, plenary signed off the budgetary management by the European Commission, responsible for the majority […]
Commission greenlights Italy’s ninth payment request for €12.8 billion under NextGenerationEU
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Commission positively assessed Italy’s ninth payment request of €12.8 billion under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. Following its assessment of the payment request, the Commission found that Italy has satisfactorily completed all 16 milestones and 34 targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision. The reforms and […]
Parliament endorses renewed EU trade instrument for development
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Tuesday, Parliament adopted the renewed regulation on the generalised system of preferences (GSP). The updated rules, passed with 459 votes in favour, 127 against and 70 abstentions, allow vulnerable developing countries to export goods to the EU with low or no tariffs. Several […]
EP President Metsola to EU leaders: “Europe cannot face a new era with an old budget”
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. At the European Council, President Metsola addressed three main topics: the situation in the Middle East, the ‘One Europe One Market’ Roadmap and the Multiannual Financial Framework. Speaking to EU leaders, Parliament President Metsola focused on three topics: The situation in the Middle East […]European Institutions agree Roadmap to achieve “One Europe, one Market” by end of 2027
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. On the sidelines of the Informal meeting of Heads of State or Government in Cyprus, the President of the Republic of Cyprus as the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the Presidents of the European Parliament and the European Commission, […]
Chokepoints and conflict: How the Hormuz crisis is exposing global shipping vulnerabilities
This article is published in association with United Nations. The blockading of ships in the Strait of Hormuz as a result of the conflict between the United States and Iran has demonstrated how ships and seafarers have become “leverage in geopolitical disputes,” according to the head of the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO). Since conflict began […]
UN leads call to prepare ‘for when digital systems fail’
This article is published in association with United Nations. It can be annoying when the wifi signal is cut, but what about if everything digital we rely on were to crash suddenly – from satellites to life-support systems in hospitals? That’s the nightmare scenario that the UN is trying to avoid, in a call to all […]
Global rise of cyberattacks exposes limits of technical solutions
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The internet reaches into every corner of the world and is vital to everything from health systems and financial markets to public services and election organising. This intense global interconnectedness clearly comes with great benefits, but a cybercrime epidemic is putting millions of lives […]
Parliament wants stronger action against cyberbullying in the EU
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. MEPs are demanding the strict enforcement of existing EU laws, a harmonised definition of cyberbullying, and increased platform responsibility to improve the protection of victims. In a resolution adopted on Thursday with a show of hands, plenary calls for effective and dissuasive penalties for […]
AI in advertising risks fuelling information crisis, UN warns
This article is published in association with United Nations. With spending on advertising topping $1 trillion a year worldwide, the United Nations on Wednesday highlighted the untapped power of major brands to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence, warning that a failure to act could deepen a global information integrity crisis. In a new brief titled […]
Review highlights Digital Markets Act remains fit for purpose and has positive impact
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission’s first review of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) found that in the first two years of its application, the DMA remains fit for purpose and has opened up new opportunities for businesses and developers, while giving users more control over their experiences and […]
EU to strengthen regional dimension of research and innovation
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions signed a new Joint Action Plan to enhance the role of cities and regions in research and innovation (R&I). Under the Joint Action Plan, the Commission and the Committee of the Regions will collaborate […]
In Lebanon, the same fears and dangers persist despite ceasefire: UNHCR
This article is published in association with United Nations. Death and destruction have continued unabated in Lebanon while communities are still unable to return to their homes despite a ceasefire that began on 17 April, humanitarians said on Tuesday. “Civilians in the south of Lebanon and parts of the Bekaa [Valley] are really living with the […]
Uncertainty continues over safety in the Strait of Hormuz
This article is published in association with United Nations. Amid claims and counter-claims of strikes and confrontations in the crucial Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the United States, UN maritime officials continue to urge vessels to exercise “maximum caution”. “We are aware of the reports but do not have further details. We continue to urge […]
Middle East crisis puts aid, food, fuel further out of reach for millions already struggling – UN agencies
This article is published in association with United Nations. As the Middle East crisis continues the humanitarian fallout is worsening, with aid route disruptions and food and fuel price hikes wrecking the lives and the rights of the most vulnerable people worldwide, UN agencies warned on Friday. Heightened insecurity and instability around key Gulf routes, including […]
Hormuz crisis strangling global economy, Guterres warns, demanding solutions to end stalemate
This article is published in association with United Nations. The escalating crisis in the Strait of Hormuz could push tens of millions into poverty, trigger a surge in global hunger and even tip the world towards recession, the UN Secretary-General warned on Thursday. António Guterres decried the restrictions on free passage through the crucial chokepoint which […]AI in advertising risks fuelling information crisis, UN warns
This article is published in association with United Nations. With spending on advertising topping $1 trillion a year worldwide, the United Nations on Wednesday highlighted the untapped power of major brands to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence, warning that a failure to act could deepen a global information integrity crisis. In a new brief titled […]
2015 nuclear deal ‘no basis’ for any new agreement with Iran
This article is published in association with United Nations. The 2015 nuclear accord with Iran cannot be the starting point for a new agreement with the country, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday in New York. Rafael Mariano Grossi was speaking during a press conference at UN Headquarters held on […]
From Hormuz to Lebanon, crisis reverberates through trade routes, upending humanitarian networks
© WHO/Hanan Balkhy In Gaza displaced families are living in overcrowded tents and makeshift shelters, surrounded by waste and debris, with limited access to safe water and sanitation services. This article is published in association with United Nations. Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continue to send shockwaves through global food systems, the UN Food and Agriculture […]
World News in Brief: Sudan drone attacks condemned, South Sudan violence, airstrikes in Ukraine, South Africa Freedom Day
This article is published in association with United Nations. The United Nations has condemned two recent drone attacks in Sudan, one of which left seven dead, Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Monday during his regular media briefing in New York. An aid truck from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) that was carrying emergency shelter kits came under attack by […]Chokepoints and conflict: How the Hormuz crisis is exposing global shipping vulnerabilities
This article is published in association with United Nations. The blockading of ships in the Strait of Hormuz as a result of the conflict between the United States and Iran has demonstrated how ships and seafarers have become “leverage in geopolitical disputes,” according to the head of the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO). Since conflict began […]
Middle East war: After oil and gas, concerns grow over minerals crunch
This article is published in association with United Nations. The shipping crisis in the Strait of Hormuz caused by war in the Middle East has exposed a new threat: a looming shortage of strategic minerals that drive economies all over the world – and a race by countries to obtain them. Until war erupted on 28 […]
Ceasefire extension offers diplomatic opening, but tensions persist in Strait of Hormuz
This article is published in association with United Nations. The United States’ decision to extend a fragile ceasefire with Iran has kept a narrow window open for diplomacy, but fresh security incidents in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday underscore the volatility of the situation and the risks to global shipping and regional stability. The UN […]
Strait of Hormuz: With hunger looming, life-saving fertiliser shipments cannot wait, head of UN task force says
This article is published in association with United Nations. As the Persian Gulf crisis continues, time is ticking for farmers who rely on fertilizer shipped via the Strait of Hormuz – and millions worldwide who depend on their crops, particularly in vulnerable countries such as war-torn Sudan. In normal times, one third of global fertiliser trade […]
Economic collapse pushes highly educated Gazans into the ‘survival economy’
This article is published in association with United Nations. Young Palestinians in Gaza with university-level educations are setting aside dreams of putting their hard-won skills into practice and doing whatever they can to survive. Abdullah al-Khawaja, an electrical engineering graduate displaced from Rafah to Khan Younis, now stands behind a small spice stall, having lost the […]
World News in Brief: AI diagnostics, humanitarian deal for DR Congo, rights abuse allegations in Belarus, Ukraine children bear heaviest burden
This article is published in association with United Nations. New data shows that nearly three in four countries in Europe now use Artificial Intelligence in their health services to make a diagnosis. According to the UN World Health Organization (WHO) joint report with the European Union, 74% of countries in the bloc use AI tools in medical […]
Time running out on development goals as finance dries up, UN warns
This article is published in association with United Nations. Rising conflicts, the climate crisis and shrinking development finance are putting growing pressure on the poorest and most vulnerable countries – pushing development goals further off track. The warning comes in the Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2026 (FSDR), a new UN report launched on Monday, which finds […]
World News in Brief: Myanmar amnesty, rising needs in Afghanistan, another power loss at Ukraine nuclear plant
This article is published in association with United Nations. Authorities in Myanmar released the country’s ousted president from prison on Friday, along with some 4,000 other people, as part of an amnesty to mark the traditional New Year festival. President Win Myint had been in jail since February 2021 when the military overthrew Myanmar’s democratically elected […]
