The 2024 forest fires report from the Commission’s Joint Research Centre confirms a longer and more intense fire season. Major fires have increased every year since 2017, and the 2024 data confirm the upward trend. The 2024 fire season ended with a total burnt area of 383,317 hectares. While this is lower than the 500,000 […]
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Over three days, ministers, development partners and international agencies met to explore how LDCs can “graduate” successfully – meaning they have reached levels of income, education and resilience that lift them out of the UN’s most vulnerable grouping – and, crucially, stay out. The meeting focused on the Doha Programme of Action (DPOA), which aims […]
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The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) first State of the Climate in the Arab Region report paints a stark picture of a region under constant pressure from rising temperatures and increasingly extreme weather. The UN agency noted that “a number of countries [in the Arab region] reported temperatures of above 50°C (122°F) last year, while average […]
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Edinburgh — 5 December 2025 — Edinburgh Airport suspended all flights on Friday morning after a significant IT failure affected its air traffic control provider, forcing a full ground stop and causing widespread disruption for passengers Yahoo News Australia. The shutdown began at around 08:30 local time, with the airport confirming that no arrivals or […]
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Fighting erupted between rival militaries in April 2023 following a breakdown in the transition to civilian rule, following the overthrow of longtime former President Omar al-Bashir four years earlier. The army of Sudan’s military government has been battling the formerly allied fighters of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia for control of the vast country, […]
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The once allied Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in brutal conflict since April 2023, with the battlefront now shifting to the oil-rich region’s three states. It comes after RSF fighters seized El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, last month following a year-long siege marked by widespread […]
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In partnership with the UN-backed Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), they have launched the ‘Kick Out Polio’ campaign ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 which begins in Morocco on 21 December. “Polio is an illness that we simply need to take seriously,” said Naby Keïta of the Guinea National Team who plays […]
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In early 2022, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Kostiantyn Koshelenko, was focused on a multi-year project to modernize how his country delivered government support to citizens. The planned Unified Information System of the Social Sphere (UISSS) would consolidate 15 separate databases into one platform, laying groundwork to create a more harmonized user experience. Then […]
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Adequate wages and quality jobs are essential for economic stability and reducing poverty. While Europe generally performs well in this regard, there is room for improvement, especially as workers continue to feel the impact of global crises and rising living costs, and companies struggle with labour shortages. To help address these challenges, the Commission […]
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The parasitic mosquito-borne disease is both preventable and curable but it remains a serious and deadly global health threat – claiming hundreds of thousands of lives – mostly among young children and pregnant women, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa. The WHO’s latest annual update shows impressive progress since 2000: intervention has saved an estimated 14 million […]
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