(UN News)* —As starvation worsens in war-torn Gaza, UN agencies repeated warnings on Monday [] that Israel’s decision to support a “one-week scale-up” of aid is far from enough to reverse deadly malnutrition rates in the enclave.
(UN News)* — Nations are pursuing underwater exploration for highly sought-after rare earth minerals, but the head of the UN’s International Seabed Authority (ISA) said the deep-sea belongs to no single country or corporation as efforts are underway to ensure this rich resource will not become “the Wild West” of exploitation.
New York – The sustained increase in global food prices has had a profound impact on food security and nutrition, particularly in low-income countries where households spend a larger share of their income on food.
(UN News)* — Pregnant women and newborns in Gaza face “catastrophic” conditions, including a dysfunctional healthcare system, psychological stress and food deprivation, the UN reproductive health agency UNFPA reported on Wednesday [].
In the first half of 2025, only 17,000 births were recorded, according to Gazan health authorities, representing a 41 per cent decline in Gaza’s birth rate over the past three years, the agency said.
(UN News)* —A senior UN official on Wednesday [] urged the Security Council to push for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages, warning that the war has become “a nightmare of historic proportions” and it is “long past time” for the fighting to end and for hostages to return home.
Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, told ministers and ambassadors that ongoing talks must lead to a permanent end to hostilities, the release of all hostages, unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid and for recovery and reconstruction to begin.
(UN News)* —At a time of escalating violence and record levels of hunger in Nigeria, critical funding shortfalls are forcing the UN World Food Program (WFP) to suspend all emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in the northeast of the country.
While WFP has been able to hold hunger at bay across northern Nigeria in the first half of 2025, funding shortfalls are jeopardising such efforts, with lifesaving programmes set to grind to a halt by the end of July.
NEW YORK, Jul 18 2025 (IPS)* –“The power of AI carries immense responsibilities. Today, that power sits in the hands of a few,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the 2025 AI Action Summit, reflecting on a deepening reality as we inch closer to a world in complete digital domination.
Microsoft offices in Vancouver, Canada. Credit Unsplash/Matthew Manuel
Today, seven of the world’s top ten most valuable companies are digital giants, focusing primarily on the output of communication, digital manufacturing, artificial intelligence and digital commerce, which is paving the way for a fully digitized life for all.
The top 10 companies include some of the biggest names in information technology and digital commerce:
CIVICUS discusses the military use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Gaza with Dima Samaro, a Palestinian lawyer and researcher, and director of Skyline International for Human Rights, a civil society organisation (CSO) that defends digital freedoms and human rights in the Middle East and North Africa.
Gaza has become a testing ground for AI-powered warfare. Israel deploys systems such as Gospel and Lavender that produce thousands of strike recommendations based on alleged links to Hamas.
Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory, 21 July 2025 – In the shadow of broken concrete and twisted steel, Salem has pitched a tent on the remnants of his former home.
It may look like nothing more than a heap of rubble, but to Salem, these ruins hold a lifetime: the house he built for his family, the memories etched into every corner, and the dignity that once came with having a place to call his own.
(UN News)* —Worrying alerts from United Nations staff in the Gaza Strip who have been fainting from hunger and exhaustion over the past 48 hours have increased fears for people’s survival in the devastated enclave, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday [.
“Doctors, nurses, journalists, humanitarians, among them UNRWA staff, are hungry…fainting due to hunger and exhaustion while performing their duties,” said Juliette Touma, Director of Communications with the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA.
Speaking from Amman, she stressed that seeking food “has become as deadly as the bombardments”.
Rice farming in Madagascar. ©FAO/Fanilo Randriatsizafy
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HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 