The UN’s OCHA has warned that the humanitarian fallout from the Middle East crisis is worsening by the day, with millions of civilians losing access to water, power, and medical care. Aid agencies say they’re facing a funding gap of nearly $900 million as conditions deteriorate across the region.
Lula da Silva has formally launched his bid for Brazil’s presidency at 80, confirmed by the Workers’ Party at a 3,000-delegate convention in São Paulo. He’ll face Flávio Bolsonaro in what promises to be another deeply polarised October election.
Morocco says 11 people died in this week’s mass crossing attempt toward Ceuta, but Spain’s count stands at 72. Rabat is blaming the surge on misleading social media posts — a claim that’s drawing sharp scrutiny.
As Europe battles its worst wildfires in decades, Australia’s blend of AI-driven fire prediction and ancient Indigenous burning practices offers a compelling model for disaster preparedness. The approach has reshaped how one of the world’s most fire-prone nations manages its landscape.
The UN’s human rights office says settler attacks on Palestinians hit a record 900-plus incidents in 2024, with soldiers and settlers often acting together. International calls to end the decades-long occupation are growing louder but concrete action remains elusive.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned Friday that a strengthening El Niño is intensifying the climate crisis at a moment when global temperatures are already breaking records. The weather phenomenon could drive the next five years to become the hottest in human history.
Trump publicly contradicted Zelensky on Friday, denying that Washington agreed to let Ukraine manufacture Patriot missiles domestically. The dispute exposes a significant gap between the two leaders just days after their high-profile talks.
The EU’s trade deficit with China hit €291 billion in 2023, pushing European policymakers to demand a fundamental overhaul of Brussels’ China trade policy. Tariffs on electric vehicles are just the beginning of a broader reckoning.
The European Commission has launched an ambitious emergency package targeting electricity price caps and mandatory demand cuts to shield consumers and businesses from runaway energy costs. But deep divisions among member states could slow the response at the worst possible moment.
Brussels is pushing a carefully managed ‘prudent’ framework for Ukraine’s EU accession, balancing political urgency with the reality of ongoing war and deep reform demands. The process involves 35 policy chapters and a timeline that could stretch well into the next decade.
