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How Do I Get an Animated Picture of Myself? (Beginner’s Guide)
Nearly €1.6 billion from EU funds to support recovery in Spain’s flood-struck region
The European Commission has proposed to provide close to €1.6 billion in funds to support recovery from the destructive October 2024 floods in Valencia, Spain. The funds will help repair infrastructure, provide temporary accommodation, carry out clean-up operations as well as rebuild roads.
Commission restricts the use of ‘forever chemicals' in firefighting foams
New measures have been introduced to EU chemical rules that will restrict the use of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in firefighting foams. They will protect people and the environment, especially soil and water, from the risks posed by PFAS.
Winners of 2027 European Green Cities Awards announced
In 2027, Heilbronn (Germany) will be the European Green Capital, and the European Green Leaf Awards, for smaller cities, will go to Assen (the Netherlands) and Siena (Italy). Heilbronn got top scores for its work on air quality, water, noise, climate change adaptation and the circular economy.
Increasing violence and funding cuts imperil millions across Haiti
Haiti faces one of the world’s most severe food crises that is only worsening due to steep funding cuts to WFP relief programmes.
“We urge international partners to step up to enable WFP and partners to provide not only life-saving emergency assistance, but also to invest in programmes addressing the root causes of hunger,” said Wanja Kaaria, the agency’s director in Haiti.
The WFP reported that armed groups now control nearly 90 per cent of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, leading to higher food prices for a population already facing grave food insecurity and obstructing farmers’ access to markets.
Over 16,000 killed
A staggering 1.3 million people, more than half of them children, have been forced to flee their homes in search of food and shelter, says the WFP, while over 16,000 people have been killed and some 7,000 injured since January 2022, according to UN human rights chief Volker Türk.
The violence is spreading beyond the country’s capital and into nearby regions – fertile ground for more arms, drugs and human trafficking, Mr. Türk said, in an update on the situation in Haiti to the Human Rights Council.
“More children are being subjected to trafficking, exploitation and forced recruitment by the gangs,” he continued. “We can only imagine the long-term impact, for the children of Haiti, and for society as a whole.”
‘Running out of options and hope’
The WFP requires $139 million for the next 12 months to reach Haiti’s most vulnerable families. Currently, funding shortfalls have forced the agency to suspend hot meals for newly displaced families and slash food rations in half.
For the first time ever, the WFP has not prepositioned food stocks to respond to any climate-related disaster during the Atlantic hurricane season because of lack of resources.
“Today, more than half of all Haitians don’t have enough to eat,” said Ms. Kaaria. “With our current levels of funding, WFP and partners are struggling to keep starvation at bay for thousands of the most vulnerable – children, mothers, entire families who are running out of options and hope.”
Despite challenges, the WFP has reached over two million people in need since January 2022 and is working with the Haitian government to provide school meals to thousands of students, among other aid.
State violence
In his update, Mr. Türk expressed concern that Haitian Government-backed security forces have been responsible for some “unnecessary and disproportionate lethal force” in their fight against the gangs.
More than half of killings and injuries so far this year have been at the hands of State authorities, with 174 people executed for alleged gang affiliations.
Security Council members vote on a draft resolution concerning a new gang suppression force in Haiti.
The Government has also been using explosive, or attack drones, in a bid to purge the capital of armed groups – which is “likely unlawful under international human rights law” – killing at least 559 people as of mid-September.
New Security Council-backed force
A new Gang Suppression Force (GSF) of over 5,000 armed personnel to neutralize gangs and protect the population was authorized earlier this week by the UN Security Council.
But details of how it will be financed, and which countries will be supplying troops have yet to be finalised. Read our explainer on how the GSF is taking shape, here.
International human trafficking ring rolled up in Albania and Colombia
Seventeen suspected human traffickers were arrested in a global operation involving the Albanian and Colombian authorities. The suspects had set up a human trafficking network to recruit vulnerable women from Colombia for sexual exploitation in Europe. The investigation and action day received support from Eurojust through the Western Balkans Criminal Justice Project and Europol.
Navigating Divorce: Understanding the Legal Process and Why Guidance Matters
Divorce is one of the most difficult experiences a person can go through. It is not just the
Gaza health system overwhelmed as WHO reports 42,000 people have life-changing injuries
“These life changing injuries account for one quarter of all reported injuries, of a total of over 167,300 people injured since October 2023,” said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the West Bank and Gaza.
Over 5,000 people have faced amputation and other severe injuries to arms, legs and the spinal cord.
Briefing journalists in New York by video link from Gaza, Dr. Peeperkorn detailed widespread trauma needs, adding that dozens of rehabilitation workers have been killed, with facilities close to collapse.
“Currently less than 14 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially functional, while less than one third of pre-conflict rehabilitation services are operating, with several facing imminent closure,” he said.
Pregnant, and trapped
Maternity and childbirth services in the war-ravaged enclave have also been severely impacted.
The UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, estimates that 55,000 pregnant women are trapped in Gaza, contending with displacement, bombardment, severe hunger and malnutrition.
Approximately 130 babies are born daily, with more than a quarter delivered by Caesarean section.
Estimates indicate every week in Gaza, at least 15 women give birth outside a health facility without skilled help and around one in five newborns are born premature or suffering low birth weight.
James Elder from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) described the scene at Al Aqsa and Nasser hospitals: “There’s a real level of fear and stress among the community here in Gaza City and in the south.
“Seeing large numbers of mums with newborns in corridors, hospitals are simply overburdened because of the devastation of the healthcare.”
Deep psychological impact
Conflict-related injuries also carry deep psychological scars.
“Survivors struggle with trauma, loss and daily survival where psychosocial referral services remain scarce,” Dr. Peeperkorn said, urging investment in rehabilitation linked to mental health and disability-inclusive care.
WHO stressed the urgent need for fuel, medical supplies, prosthetics, and assistive devices, alongside protection for health workers. Medical evacuation is another priority.
More than 15,000 people, including 3,800 children, need specialist treatment outside Gaza.
“We need many more countries to accept patients, and the restoration of the West Bank and East Jerusalem referral pathway,” Dr. Peeperkorn said.
Displacements continue
Meanwhile, humanitarian officials highlighted the wider crisis facing civilians, with nowhere to go.
UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said more than 6,700 people fled northern Gaza to the south within a 10-hour span on Wednesday alone, adding to over 417,000 displacements since mid-August.
“Families in southern Gaza are squeezed into these and other overcrowded shelters or makeshift tents along the coast. Many others are sleeping out in the open, often amid rubble,” he told the daily news briefing in New York.
“New arrivals in the south face poor sanitation, no privacy or safety, and a high risk of children being separated from their families – all while being exposed to explosive ordnance.”
Calls grow louder for more age-inclusive societies
“Every older person has the right to age with dignity security and access to opportunities that enrich their lives,” said one of the key organisers of the International Day of Older Persons, Arjanita Elezaj.
“These are not privileges, they are human rights,” she told a meeting at UN Headquarters to commemorate the day, where key issues such as boosting opportunities for older persons to take part in civic and cultural life were debated, along with healthcare and housing.
This year’s theme highlighted that older persons must be given agency to play an active role in driving local and global action, aimed at amplifying their voice in policymaking and an effort to build more inclusive societies.
“Older persons carry with them a lifetime of lived experiences, residence and service,” said Ms. Elezaj. “They are the architects of communities, movements and institutions that continue to guide us today. Yet too often, their voices go unheard.”
The world is growing older
The number of people aged 60 or over has more than doubled to 1.2 billion in the past three decades and is projected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050, according to a mission statement by organisers of the event in New York.
With global life expectancy increasing, the number of people aged 80 and over is expected to surpass the number of infants by the mid-2030s.
“We must respond with foresight and action. That means ensuring that the rights of older persons are fully respected, their dignity upheld, and their contributions recognised,” said the UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his message for the day.
‘Urgency’ for an age-inclusive movement
With a smile and an anecdote, professor and Dean Emerita of the Columbia University School of Social Work, Jeanette Takamura, reminded the audience that ageing is a universal phenomenon.
“When I last spoke at this podium my hair was dark brown and I was an inch taller,” she said.
Now, 26 years later, “I am obviously an inch shorter with silver hair,” she added.
In her speech, she emphasised the “urgency of heightened multigenerational outreach and inclusion” to propel forward an age-inclusive, global social movement.
She underlined that social movements are most impactful when they embrace a broad spectrum and emphasised the need for younger and older generations to learn from and about one other.
“The groundwork for a social movement has been laid by all the international years past,” she commended.
“Let us exercise wisdom, be agents of social change and expand our tent to welcome the multiple generations of younger persons we need as partners and co-creators.”
Israel/Palestine: statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on Gaza
The EU issued a statement welcoming and supporting the principles of President Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, and urges all parties to accept and implement it.
