1️⃣ The consequences of nuclear weapons are catastrophic.
Nuclear weapons are not like other weapons, they are designed to mass murder civilians, wipe out entire cities and cause irreversible harm to the environment.
First responders like the Red Cross have warned that they would have no capacity to deal with a nuclear detonation, and if the conflict were to escalate into nuclear war, recent studies show over 5 billion people could die from the famine that follows.
(Stockholm) — World military expenditure reached $2718 billion in 2024, an increase of 9.4 per cent in real terms from 2023 and the steepest year-on-year rise since at least the end of the cold war.
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Photo: Shutterstock
Military spending increased in all world regions, with particularly rapid growth in both Europe and the Middle East.
(UN News)* —The UN humanitarian affairs chief has welcomed Israel’s decision to allow limited aid to cross into Gaza after 11 weeks of complete blockade – but significantly more is needed“ starting tomorrow morning”.
Tom Fletcher said in a statement on Monday that nine UN trucks were cleared to enter the southern Kerem Shalom crossing earlier in the day.
“But it is a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed… We have been reassured that our work will be facilitated through existing, proven mechanisms. I am grateful for that reassurance, and Israel’s agreement to humanitarian notification measures that reduce the immense security threats of the operation.”
GAZA STRIP, Occupied Palestinian Territory, 19 May 2025 –“There’s a severe shortage of food and essential medicines, particularly during this siege,” said a doctor at Al-Awda Hospital, in Gaza’s central Deir Al-Balah governorate.
15 May 2025 — Hawaou Adama, a mother of three, knows all too well what it means to fight for survival every single day. Hawaou is a refugee who fled the violence that tore through her home country, the Central African Republic (CAR).
Hawaou Adama. Photo: Patricia Pouhe/NRC
After years of living in uncertainty, without a proper roof to protect her family from the elements and the dangers of daily life, Hawaou can now look forward to a safer, more stable future.
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Before war tore through her homeland, Hawaou lived a simple yet fulfilling life. Her husband worked as a farmer, while she cared for their three children, dreaming of a peaceful future for them.
Machines gather dust in bakeries and pots sit empty at hot-meal points as a new report confirms hunger is sliding towards starvation and famine
A woman holds up a piece of bread made from a crushed pasta as her daughter looks on – with markets in Gaza empty even such desparate measures are increasingly impossible. Photo: WFP/Ali Jadallah
— People in Gaza are at risk of starvation, with all aid blocked from entering since 2 March. A report by 17 United Nations agencies and NGOs released last week says 470,000 people face catastrophic hunger – level 5 on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the global standard for measuring food insecurity.
Pest-infected plants can trigger a cascade of negative effects on food supplies and induce outbreaks of zoonotic diseases…
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Plant health is the foundation of food security and is interconnected with human, animal and environmental health. Healthy plants provide nutrient-rich diets for humans and animals and help promote a balanced ecosystem.
Pest-infected plants can trigger a cascade of negative effects on food supplies and induce outbreaks of zoonotic diseases transmitted through harmful pathogens.
In 2024, over 295 million people across 53 countries and territories faced acute hunger—an increase of almost 14 million people compared to 2023, while the number of people facing catastrophic levels of hunger reached a record high.
Geneva/New York/Rome/Washington (FAO)* –Acute food insecurity and child malnutrition rose for the sixth consecutive year in 2024, pushing millions of people to the brink, in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions, according to the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC), released on 16 May 2025.
UN humanitarian chief demands resumption of aid in Gaza
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UN News | A child in Gaza carrying an empty plate.
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(UN News)* — Humanitarians demand access to the Gaza Strip and already have a plan in place to deliver life-saving assistance to civilians, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said in a strong call issued late on Friday evening.
No aid has entered the enclave since Israel implemented a ban on 2 March and the entire population, more than two million people, is at risk of famine.
GIANYAR, Bali, May 14 2025 (IPS)* –It was Christmas Eve last year when visitors across several tourism hotspots in Bali woke up to a ghastly scene they hadn’t expected: layers of cans, bags, bottles, and driftwood covering their favorite sandy beaches, washed up by hours of rain and high tide.
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Organic waste being composted at a community-led waste management facility in Sesdan village of Gianyar regency, Bali. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS
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HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 