Do patent attorneys have to disclose that they used AI? The confidentiality and candour rules explained

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24 July 2026

Do patent attorneys have to disclose that they used AI? The confidentiality and candour rules explained

By Alius Noreika

Patent attorney at work – artistic impression. Image credit: Alius Noreika / AI

Key takeaways

There is no general duty to tell the USPTO, the EPO or the UK IPO that an AI tool helped draft a filing.
The duty of candour creates a narrow but real exception: if AI use is material to patentability, it must be disclosed.
The signature on the paper — not the software behind it — is where liability attaches. Trusting AI output is not a reasonable inquiry.
Obligations to the client are stricter than obligations to the office, and often require informed consent before confidential material goes into a third-party model.
Courts are moving faster than patent offices, and several judges now demand certifications that patent offices do not.

The question comes up in almost every firm that has started experimenting with generative models: if a machine helped write the specification, does anyone have to say so? The answer that patent professionals keep arriving at — no, but — is correct, and the “but” is doing far more work than most summaries admit.

The short answer: no general duty to tell the patent office

The controlling US document is the USPTO guidance on AI-based tools in practice, published in the Federal Register on 11 April 2024 at 89 FR 25609. It is explicit on two points. There is no prohibition on using AI tools to draft documents for submission, and there is no general obligation to disclose that they were used. The Office repeats the point later in the notice: practitioners are not required to inform the USPTO that an AI tool was used in drafting a paper unless the USPTO specifically asks.

That guidance is interpretive rather than substantive rulemaking. It announced no new rule and created no new duty. What it did was map the existing rulebook — candour, signatures, confidentiality, export control, competence — onto a new category of tool, and warn that the rulebook is quite capable of catching careless AI use without any AI-specific provision.

The European position landed in the same place by a different route. The EPO Guidelines for Examination that entered into force on 1 April 2026 added a dedicated General Part, Section 5 on the use of artificial intelligence. Its organising principle is that parties remain responsible for the content of applications and submissions regardless of whether an AI tool helped prepare them. No disclosure statement is contemplated. The same revision also confirms the EPO’s own use of AI, including AI-assisted minute-taking for videoconference oral proceedings.

Where the exception bites: candour and materiality

The narrow exception sits inside the duty of candor and good faith, which for US practitioners runs through 37 CFR 11.303 and, in patent examination and reissue, through 37 CFR 1.56(a). The Office’s position is that if the use of an AI tool is itself material to patentability as defined in 37 CFR 1.56(b), it must be disclosed. Materiality is the trigger, not the technology.

The paradigm case is inventorship. If a drafting tool introduces alternative embodiments that no named inventor conceived, and the applicant then seeks to claim them, information about the interaction with the system — including inputs and outputs — may become material and disclosable. This is not a hypothetical failure mode. Broad, generative expansion of a disclosure into unclaimed embodiments is exactly what these tools are good at.

One wrinkle deserves attention, because a great deal of 2024-vintage commentary is now out of date. The April 2024 guidance framed its materiality example against the USPTO’s February 2024 inventorship guidance, which applied the Pannu factors to AI-assisted inventions. That framework is gone. The revised inventorship guidance for AI-assisted inventions published on 28 November 2025 at 90 FR 54636 rescinded the earlier version in its entirety and withdrew the Pannu-based approach for AI. Artificial intelligence systems are now treated as instruments analogous to laboratory equipment or research databases, and the traditional conception standard applies uniformly. Pannu survives only for allocating joint inventorship among multiple natural persons.

The practical consequence is subtle rather than dramatic. The disclosure trigger has not disappeared; it has been re-anchored. The question is no longer whether an AI contribution was “significant” under a bespoke test, but whether a human being actually conceived the claimed subject matter with the definiteness the case law demands. Where the honest answer is no, candour is engaged.

The signature is the real checkpoint

Most of the enforcement risk in AI-assisted patent work has nothing to do with disclosure at all. It sits in 37 CFR 11.18(b), the certification a person makes by signing or presenting any paper to the Office. Paragraph (b)(1) certifies that statements of the party’s own knowledge are true. Paragraph (b)(2) imposes a duty of reasonable inquiry covering improper purpose, legal warrant, and evidentiary support.

The USPTO’s formulation is unambiguous: relying on the accuracy of an AI tool is not a reasonable inquiry. To make the certification, the signer must have reviewed and verified the paper. Related mechanics follow from the same principle — a signature must be personally inserted by a natural person, an AI system cannot sign, cannot hold a USPTO.gov account, and cannot be sponsored as support staff.

Information disclosure statements are a specific trap. AI can populate a PTO/SB/08 form and can find references in the first place, but the signer certifies review of each listed reference. Dumping a large, unfiltered machine-generated list on an examiner risks being characterised as a paper presented for an improper purpose, because it can cause unnecessary delay or needless cost. The duty of disclosure under 37 CFR 1.56(c) cannot be delegated to a computer system.

Choosing tools with the verification burden in mind

Because verification is non-delegable, tool selection is a compliance decision rather than a procurement one. Specialized AI patent drafting tools can help patent professionals analyze invention disclosures, prepare initial claim sets and specification sections, and maintain consistent technical terminology throughout an application. The problem is too important for generic output, the language is specialized, and every generated draft still requires careful professional review.

Verification also has to reach beyond citations. Where a specification or drawings are AI-assisted, technical accuracy and compliance with 35 U.S.C. 112 must be checked before filing, because post-filing corrections risk new matter. Prophetic examples need to be clearly distinguishable from working examples. Where a priority document was drafted with AI assistance, technical errors carried into the US filing can jeopardise the priority claim.

Duties to the client are the stricter half

The disclosure question that most firms should actually be worrying about is not what they owe the office but what they owe the client. Here the answer is not “nothing”.

The American Bar Association’s Formal Opinion 512 on generative AI tools, issued 29 July 2024, works through competence, confidentiality, communication, candour, supervision and fees. Two conclusions matter most. First, a client’s informed consent is required before information relating to the representation is entered into a self-learning tool, and boilerplate language buried in an engagement letter does not qualify as informed. Second, disclosure to the client is required in defined circumstances — on request, where the engagement terms require it, and where the output will influence a significant decision in the representation.

State guidance is generally consistent and sometimes firmer. The Florida Bar’s Advisory Opinion 24-1 recommends obtaining the affected client’s informed consent before using a third-party generative tool where confidential information would be disclosed. In California, the State Bar has been considering amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct that would fold AI-specific principles directly into binding rules, including for agentic systems.

Formal opinions are persuasive rather than binding, and a US patent practitioner is answerable to both the USPTO Rules of Professional Conduct and a state bar. Where the two diverge, the stricter obligation governs in practice.

Confidentiality is the harder problem

Disclosure is a paperwork question. Confidentiality is an existential one, because in patent practice a leak is not merely a compliance failure — it can destroy novelty before the application is ever examined.

Under 37 CFR 11.106(a) a practitioner must not reveal information relating to the representation without informed consent or another applicable basis, and paragraph (d), added in 2021 to track ABA Model Rule 1.6, requires reasonable efforts to prevent inadvertent or unauthorised disclosure. The USPTO’s specific warning is that AI systems may retain user input, that operators may use it for further training or share it with third parties, and that confidential material used in training may surface in outputs delivered to others. Supervising practitioners are responsible under 37 CFR 11.501 to 11.503 for staff and junior colleagues using these tools.

Then there is export control, which is easy to overlook and hard to unwind. Under 37 CFR 5.11 a foreign filing licence is required before exporting technical data for foreign filing purposes, and it does not authorise exporting subject matter abroad to prepare applications for filing in the United States. Where an AI service runs on servers outside the US, data entered into it may constitute an export; even domestically hosted systems can raise deemed export issues under 15 CFR 734.13(b) where non-US persons are involved. The Office’s instruction is to understand a tool’s terms of use, privacy policy and cybersecurity practices before adopting it.

Europe and the UK: same answer, different plumbing

European practitioners reach comparable conclusions through professional conduct rules rather than a single agency notice. The epi guidelines on the use of generative AI require members to ensure adequate confidentiality of prompts, datasets and other content transmitted to models, and to remain responsible for the work product. In the UK, IPReg’s artificial intelligence guidance identifies which parts of its regulatory arrangements bear on AI use, against a Core Regulatory Framework that already obliges attorneys to keep client affairs confidential. CIPA and CITMA have added their own practical material for members and clients.

Layered on top, EU practitioners face GDPR obligations wherever personal data is processed, and potential duties under the EU AI Act depending on whether the firm is acting as a provider or a deployer of a given system.

Courts are stricter than patent offices

The disclosure picture changes once a dispute reaches a tribunal. New York adopted the first comprehensive statewide rule: 22 NYCRR Part 161 on the use of artificial intelligence technology, adopted 25 March 2026 and effective 1 June 2026, applies to all Unified Court System courts. Its posture is accountability rather than disclosure — AI use is permitted and no system-wide disclosure duty is imposed — but its Appendix A supplies an opt-in model rule under which a signature certifies careful review and the absence of fabricated cases, statutes or other material. Because adoption is per court, practitioners still have to check.

Individual judges are less forgiving, and hundreds maintain standing orders requiring disclosure, certification or verification. The consequences are not theoretical for patent litigators. In Lexos Media IP LLC v. Overstock.com in the District of Kansas, Senior Judge Julie A. Robinson sanctioned five attorneys on 2 February 2026 under Rule 11 after briefing in a patent infringement case was found to contain non-existent cases, fabricated quotations and citations to real decisions that held the opposite of what was claimed. Monetary sanctions totalled roughly $12,000, with the largest fine falling on the attorney who admitted incorporating unverified ChatGPT output, and liability was spread across colleagues who signed without checking. The court declined to allow a corrected brief.

Some tribunals do require an affirmative statement. Quebec’s Tribunal administratif du travail, for example, directs litigants and representatives to add a line at the head of any document indicating that AI generated at least part of its content. The lesson is that “no disclosure required” is a statement about a particular forum, never a general rule.

Who requires what

Body	Must you disclose AI use?	What is required instead
USPTO	No general duty; only if specifically requested, or if the use is material to patentability	Personal signature, reasonable inquiry under 37 CFR 11.18(b), duty of candour, confidentiality under 37 CFR 11.106
EPO	No	Parties remain responsible for the content of applications and submissions
New York state courts	No system-wide duty	Signature certification of review under the opt-in model rule; check the individual court
Individual US federal judges	Frequently yes	Standing orders vary; verify per judge before every filing
Clients (ABA / state bars)	Sometimes yes	Informed consent for confidential input; disclosure on request or where output drives a significant decision
UK and European professional bodies	Not to the office	Confidentiality, competence, responsibility for work product, transparency on billing

Frequently asked questions

Does using AI affect who is named as inventor? It can, but not because AI is a co-inventor — it cannot be one. Under the November 2025 revised guidance, the question is whether a natural person conceived the claimed invention. Claims covering machine-generated embodiments no human conceived are the risk.

Can a client insist on knowing whether AI was used? Yes. Formal Opinion 512 treats a client request as a circumstance requiring disclosure, and engagement terms can require it independently.

Is an enterprise tool with a no-training setting enough? It is necessary rather than sufficient. Confidentiality obligations also reach retention, subprocessors, server location and breach exposure — and, in the US, export control.

The bottom line

Patent attorneys do not, as a rule, have to announce that they used AI. What they cannot do is treat that absence of a disclosure duty as an absence of obligation. The signature is the certification, the client’s confidences are not the firm’s to donate to a model, and candour attaches to what the filing says rather than to how it was produced. Offices that decline to demand disclosure are not being permissive. They are pointing out that the existing rules were always about responsibility, and that responsibility is exactly what a generative tool cannot accept on a practitioner’s behalf.

Sources

USPTO, “Guidance on Use of Artificial Intelligence-Based Tools in Practice Before the United States Patent and Trademark Office,” 89 FR 25609 (11 April 2024): https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/11/2024-07629/guidance-on-use-of-artificial-intelligence-based-tools-in-practice-before-the-united-states-patent
USPTO, “Revised Inventorship Guidance for AI-Assisted Inventions,” 90 FR 54636 (28 November 2025): https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/28/2025-21457/revised-inventorship-guidance-for-ai-assisted-inventions
ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Formal Opinion 512 (29 July 2024): https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf
New York State Unified Court System, 22 NYCRR Part 161: https://www.nycourts.gov/rules/part-161-use-artificial-intelligence-technology
New York State Bar Association on Part 161: https://nysba.org/effective-june-1-2026-the-new-york-state-unified-court-system-has-adopted-a-new-rule-regarding-the-use-of-artificial-intelligence/
epi, “Guidelines: Use of Generative AI in the Work of Patent Attorneys”: https://information.patentepi.org/issue-4-2024/epi-guidelines-use-of-generative-ai.html
IPReg, Artificial Intelligence guidance: https://ipreg.org.uk/pro/practice-development/artificial-intelligence
Marks & Clerk on the 2026 EPO Guidelines and AI: https://www.marks-clerk.com/insights/latest-insights/102mn4e-2026-epo-guidelines-how-the-epo-is-approaching-ai-in-practice/
Mathys & Squire, preview of the 2026 EPO Guidelines for Examination: https://www.mathys-squire.com/insights-and-events/news/european-patent-office-previews-the-2026-guidelines-for-examination/
ABA Journal on the Lexos Media sanctions proceedings: https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge-orders-patent-attorneys-to-explain-ai-hallucinated-citations
Reporting on the 2 February 2026 sanctions order: https://thedailyrecord.com/2026/02/06/federal-judge-fines-attorneys-for-ai-generated-brief-made-up-cases/
The Florida Bar on Advisory Opinion 24-1 and Formal Opinion 512: https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-news/aba-issues-first-ethics-guidance-on-a-lawyers-use-of-ai-tools/
State Bar of California, proposed rule amendments on AI: https://www.calbar.ca.gov/public/public-meetings-comment/public-comment/public-comment-archives/2026-public-comment/proposed-amendments-rules-professional-conduct-related-artificial-intelligence
IPWatchdog on practitioner obligations after the USPTO guidance: https://ipwatchdog.com/2024/05/02/tips-for-using-ai-tools-after-the-usptos-recent-guidance-for-practitioners/

ECB Lets Europeans Choose the Euro’s New Face

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24 July 2026

ECB Lets Europeans Choose the Euro’s New Face

The central bank has shortlisted ten designs for future banknotes, opening a public survey on culture, nature, access and trust in cash The European Centra…

The central bank has shortlisted ten designs for future banknotes, opening a public survey on culture, nature, access and trust in cash

The European Central Bank has opened a public vote on the future appearance of euro banknotes, inviting people across Europe to respond to ten shortlisted design proposals before a final decision expected around the end of 2026. The redesign, the first complete refresh since euro cash entered circulation in 2002, is being framed not only as a security update but as a question of identity, inclusion and the public role of money.

The ECB unveiled the shortlisted proposals on 23 July, saying Europeans can take part in an online survey until 21 September 2026. The options are built around two themes: “European culture” and “Rivers and birds”, both intended to move the notes beyond the deliberately anonymous architectural imagery of the current series.

For a currency used daily by hundreds of millions of people, the choice carries more than aesthetic weight. Banknotes are among the few EU symbols handled across class, age and geography. They pass through market stalls, care homes, train stations, small businesses and family budgets. Their design is therefore a quiet form of public language, shaping what Europe chooses to show about itself.

A redesign with civic meaning

The ECB says the new series should make euro banknotes more secure, sustainable, accessible, inclusive and relatable. Those words place the redesign in a wider debate about public trust. In recent years, European institutions have had to defend both the practical importance of cash and the legitimacy of common symbols at a time of political fragmentation, cost-of-living pressure and digital change.

The euro’s existing notes, first issued in 2002, avoid depicting real monuments or named figures. Their bridges, windows and gateways were designed to signal openness and connection without privileging one national history over another. The new shortlist suggests a more direct visual vocabulary, with culture, rivers, birds and shared landscapes offering ways to express unity without erasing difference.

The process also lands during a difficult economic moment. As Europe’s inflation debate has shown, money is never only technical. It is bound up with household security, public confidence and the question of whether institutions can explain their choices in ways people recognise.

How the shortlist was chosen

The ECB says more than 1,200 applications were submitted by graphic designers from across the European Union. Twenty-five designers were invited to develop proposals, and an independent 21-member jury, with experts nominated by euro area national central banks, selected ten shortlisted designs.

According to the ECB’s future banknotes process, the Governing Council will consider public responses, a representative survey of euro area citizens, technical assessment and the jury’s conclusions before selecting the final design concept. The chosen design will then need further development and production work, meaning the notes will not enter circulation immediately.

The central bank has also stressed continuity. Existing euro banknotes will retain their value and continue to circulate alongside the future series. That reassurance matters for older people, low-income households, migrants, small traders and others who may depend more heavily on cash or feel excluded by rapid digital payment shifts.

Cash, access and the right to choose

The redesign arrives as Europe debates the future of public money in a more digital economy. Card payments, mobile wallets and instant transfers are increasingly ordinary, yet cash remains a safeguard for privacy, resilience and inclusion. For people without stable access to banking, for those escaping coercive control, and for communities vulnerable to power or network failures, physical money still has a protective function.

That is why the visual redesign should not be treated as a decorative exercise alone. Accessibility features, durability, recognisability and the emotional legibility of the notes all affect whether citizens experience the euro as something public and usable, rather than distant and administrative.

The final choice will inevitably disappoint some tastes. No single image can carry Europe’s languages, histories, landscapes and political contradictions. But the survey gives citizens a modest opening into a decision usually associated with central bankers, printers and security specialists. In that sense, the banknotes are being asked to do what public symbols always do: make a shared space visible without pretending it is simple.

For the ECB, the challenge is to produce notes that are harder to counterfeit and easier to trust. For Europe, the larger question is what kind of common story can still fit in a wallet.

Novel high-temperature alloys enable lighter, more fuel-efficient truck engines

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24 July 2026

Novel high-temperature alloys enable lighter, more fuel-efficient truck engines

Lightweight, higher-temperature alloys developed by researchers at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and funded by DOE’s Transportation Technologies Office (TTO) have met the strength and durability operating requirements of General Motors’ (GM) new low-mass, high-efficiency (LMHE) medium-duty truck engine. This achievement enables lighter truck engines that improve fuel efficiency and performance without sacrificing strength or durability.

1 24 Novel high-temperature alloys enable lighter, more fuel-efficient truck engines — ORNL researchers Allen Haynes, Amit Shyam, and Alex Plotkowski hold pistons 3D printed from DuAlumin3D, a high-temperature, lightweight alloy developed at ORNL and used in prototype components for GM’s new high-efficiency truck engine. Credit: Amy Smotherman Burgess/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Under a cooperative research and development agreement, ORNL tested two aluminum alloys — cast ACMZ (AlCuMnZr) and printed DuAlumin3D — in a prototype GM engine. The materials enabled a more-than-10-percent improvement in fuel efficiency and a 15-percent reduction in weight. Commercial engines in trucks, such as GM’s Chevrolet Silverado 3500, have to withstand heavy loads and prolonged use.

However, metals tough enough to meet these requirements are typically dense, which reduces fuel efficiency. Lighter materials can improve gas mileage, but most commercially available lightweight metals struggle to endure higher temperatures and pressures in high-performance engines, which can result in premature failure. The ORNL-developed alloys overcome this tradeoff by delivering both high-temperature durability and reduced weight.

ORNL’s ACMZ was used to cast the LMHE’s cylinder heads and engine block. ACMZ is a high-strength, affordable aluminum alloy designed to handle intense heat and stress. DuAlumin3D, which was designed for high-performance pistons, is a novel 3D-printable alloy that combines lightweight design with the best-known combination of strength and durability at extreme temperatures for a structural aluminum alloy.

“The shared goal between ORNL and GM was to demonstrate next-generation engines for high-volume trucks that are lighter, lower-cost, and more efficient, all without sacrificing power and performance,” said Allen Haynes, director of the ORNL-led TTO Powertrain Materials Core Program consortium.

These two alloys, along with advanced combustion and other materials and manufacturing technologies, enabled the GM LMHE engine to pass rigorous performance and durability tests, advancing materials science that supports the nation’s automotive and manufacturing sectors.

“This is a remarkable set of combined outcomes by the GM design team,” said ORNL’s Amit Shyam, who leads the Alloy Behavior and Design Group. “Any weight shaved off an engine equates to more miles per gallon for the average driver, saving not only energy, but money.”

For their multi-organization efforts, the GM-led team, including ORNL and several suppliers, earned a prestigious 2025 R&D 100 Award and a DOE 2025 Team Award for demonstrating real-world potential to deliver fuel- and cost-efficient lightweight engine technologies to the domestic market. This recognition builds upon a history of accolades for the ORNL alloy development team — both ACMZ and DuAlumin3D previously received R&D 100 Awards in 2017 and 2022 for breakthroughs in high-temperature, high-performance, lightweight metals.

“We are very pleased to receive this recognition,” Shyam said. “It’s a proud moment for our team, and it highlights how our National Labs are uniquely positioned to rapidly develop the next generation of lightweight material innovations to help drive the future competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing.”

This project integrated materials science, advanced manufacturing, combustion engineering, and computational modeling expertise into an impactful research cooperative between U.S. industry and a National Laboratory. The accelerated alloy design methodology developed by ORNL allows researchers to move from a targeted new material concept to real-world prototype applications in 2 to 4 years, as compared to the 10 to 15 years that have been historically required. This novel approach significantly reduces the time, costs, and risks of bridging the gap between laboratory breakthroughs and commercial products.

Shyam’s lightweight alloy team received support from Alex Plotkowski and Allen Haynes. TTO supported the cast ACMZ alloy, and TTO and DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office jointly developed the printable DuAlumin3D alloy.

“Beyond the lab, the effort was part of a broader collaboration led by GM, with participation from universities and suppliers across the country,” Shyam said. “It proves that materials science is not just groundbreaking, but also road ready.”

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.

Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Gaza’s food gains could unravel without sustained aid, UN warns

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United Nations News

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24 July 2026

Gaza’s food gains could unravel without sustained aid, UN warns

The warning from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN child rights agency UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP), comes as people across the war-torn enclave still struggle to restore their livelihoods, local food systems and essential services. 

“There is progress on food security in Gaza, but it is fragile and can easily be reversed,” said Carl Skau, WFP Acting Executive Director.

“The overall humanitarian situation remains brutal: families lack water, sanitation and medicine. We need sustained access, funding and stability so people of Gaza can begin recovery.”

Crisis-level hunger

Latest analysis by the UN-backed global food security monitor IPC reveals that 1.4 million people, 67 per cent of Gaza’s population, are experiencing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity, classified as IPC Phase 3 or above.

Although this represents a decrease from 1.6 million people, or 77 per cent of the population, at the end of last year, some 212,000 people remain in emergency conditions, or IPC Phase 4.

Many of them are living in areas near the Israeli-controlled “Yellow Line” where access to humanitarian aid and essential services remains especially difficult.

Ceasefire and scale-up

The improvements show how quickly conditions can change when humanitarian assistance and commercial activity are scaled up, the UN agencies said, noting that humanitarian operations have expanded significantly since the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

In May alone, food parcels reached around 1.5 million people, multipurpose cash assistance peaked at around 700,000 people, and nutrition support reached 60 per cent of children under five, with access to treatment for acute malnutrition also increasing.

This marks a sharp contrast with September 2025, when around 500,000 people received some form of food assistance and nutrition coverage for under-fives was less than one per cent.

The agencies said immediate improvements in food security were observed after the scale-up, and the IPC analysis confirms that the trend has continued.

Insufficient food, access restrictions

The agencies said immediate improvements in food security were observed after the scale-up, and the IPC analysis confirms that the trend has continued, yet the situation remains precarious.

Food rations are still insufficient in terms of quantity, quality and dietary diversity, while commercial imports of fresh produce and proteins are inconsistent.

Although access into Gaza has improved, only the Kerem Shalom/Abu Salem border crossing in the south remains open, limiting the flow of essential goods needed for recovery and most people thus remain dependent on aid.

Malnutrition alert

The agencies said malnutrition rates have also improved, largely due to the rapid expansion of nutrition prevention programmes and increased access to treatment for severe and moderate malnutrition.

However, these gains depend heavily on sustained assistance and have occurred despite continued shortages of nutritious food, recurrent disease outbreaks, limited access to safe water and sanitation, and the near collapse of livelihoods.

In the coming year some 74,000 children are expected to require treatment for acute malnutrition while roughly 25,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will also need nutrition support, they said.

Moreover, four governorates – North Gaza, Gaza, Deir Al-Balah and Khan Younis – are projected to face “alert” levels of malnutrition, IPC Phase 2. Some areas near the “Yellow Line” remained inaccessible to analysts during the survey period, leaving insufficient data for classification.

“Acute malnutrition has fallen, but many children are still going hungry, and some children may never fully recover from prolonged lack of proper nutrition,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

Local food production key

The UN agencies said that although any significant recovery of livelihoods or wider economic activity has yet to begin, early signs indicate that local food production can resume where farmers and herders can access cropland, agricultural inputs, productive assets, veterinary support and other essential services, including energy for irrigation.

In the livestock sector, sheep inventories have increased by 33 per cent in areas where support has been sustained.

Communities are also restarting small-scale economic activity where conditions allow. However, these efforts cannot expand while restrictions remain on what enters Gaza and while large areas of land remain inaccessible.

More than 70 per cent of cropland is not accessible, and only three per cent is currently usable.

“Food security in Gaza cannot recover unless local food production starts again and farmers, herders, fishers and other producers can rebuild their livelihoods,” said FAO Director-General Dongyu Qu.

“Producers need access to farmland and the sea, and to seeds, tools, livestock supplies and other agricultural inputs, as well as technical support.”

Copenhagen Mandela Day Gathering Brings Diplomats and Civil Society Together for Human Rights

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23 July 2026

Copenhagen Mandela Day Gathering Brings Diplomats and Civil Society Together for Human Rights

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, July 22, 2026 — Diplomats, political representatives, civil-society organisations and community leaders gathered in Copenhag…

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, July 22, 2026 — Diplomats, political representatives, civil-society organisations and community leaders gathered in Copenhagen for an open house marking Nelson Mandela International Day, focusing on practical cooperation to strengthen human rights education and reduce discrimination in everyday life.

Around 50 participants attended the event, reflecting the diversity and cross-sector dialogue associated with Mandela’s legacy. The programme brought together representatives of Youth for Human Rights, the European Muslim Initiative for Social Cohesion, known as EMISCO, Soteria International and the Universal Peace Federation.

Hosted at the Church of Scientology in Copenhagen, the gathering combined formal presentations with discussions among participants intended to identify areas for further cooperation on human rights, peace and social inclusion.

Nelson Mandela International Day is observed annually on 18 July. The United Nations General Assembly established the international day in 2009 in recognition of Mandela’s contribution to democracy, reconciliation, human rights and a culture of peace.

The observance also recalls the 67 years Mandela devoted to public service as a human rights lawyer, prisoner of conscience, international peacemaker and the first democratically elected president of South Africa. Around the world, the occasion has become an opportunity for communities and institutions to consider how the principles associated with his life can be translated into practical service.

Human rights in everyday life

The Copenhagen event placed particular emphasis on the relationship between human rights principles and daily conduct.

A former member of the Danish Parliament addressed respect for human rights in the workplace, highlighting the responsibility of individuals and institutions to make conscious decisions against discrimination. The presentation examined how choices made by employers, colleagues and public officials can influence whether equality is experienced in practice.

Other contributions included perspectives from a diplomatic representative and from a participant who had met Mandela while still a school pupil. Although the speakers approached the subject through different personal and professional experiences, they repeatedly returned to Mandela’s persistence, dignity and commitment to peaceful coexistence.

Bashy Quraishy, General Secretary of EMISCO, thanked the Church of Scientology for hosting the gathering and described dignity and equality as essential foundations for cooperation among nongovernmental organisations.

He said that Mandela’s “uncompromising approach to life” remained an enduring source of inspiration for those working to protect human rights and improve relations between communities.

Jonathan Skjaltholt, representing Soteria International, reflected on the importance of personal choices in advancing peace and respect. He described Mandela as a reminder of the importance of choosing kindness and approaching difficult social questions from a broader perspective.

The evening also included a three-course summer meal and a musical performance by a professional pianist and singer. The informal setting allowed participants to continue the discussion across organisational and professional lines, exchange experiences and consider possible areas of cooperation related to education, public awareness and community engagement.

Human rights education anniversaries recognised

A central moment of the programme was the presentation of recognitions to Youth for Human Rights International and Youth for Human Rights Denmark.

In 2026, the international organisation marks 25 years since its establishment, while the Danish group marks 20 years of human rights education and public-awareness activity.

Youth for Human Rights International was founded in 2001 by South African educator Dr Mary Shuttleworth, who grew up during the apartheid period and witnessed the consequences of discrimination and the denial of fundamental rights.

Its educational work centres on the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Through booklets, audiovisual materials, classroom resources and community events, the initiative presents those principles in language intended to be accessible to young people.

The organisation’s stated purpose is to help young people understand their rights and become advocates for tolerance, equality and peace. Its materials have been used in classrooms, youth organisations, public events and non-traditional educational settings in cooperation with educators and civil-society partners.

The Church of Scientology and individual Scientologists support Youth for Human Rights and its sister initiative, United for Human Rights, as part of a broader international educational campaign.

The programme draws inspiration from Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, who emphasised the importance of making human rights a practical reality rather than leaving them as abstract declarations. Educational resources supported by the Church are made available for use by teachers, young people, civic organisations, human rights advocates and public officials.

The recognition presented in Copenhagen by EMISCO referred to Hubbard’s humanitarian vision and acknowledged the continued work of the international and Danish Youth for Human Rights teams.

Organisers said the anniversaries provided an opportunity not only to review past activity, but also to consider how human rights education can address present-day forms of discrimination, social exclusion and intolerance.

Connecting local initiatives with European values

Ivan Arjona, representative of the Church of Scientology to the European Union, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe and the United Nations, said the Copenhagen gathering reflected a responsibility shared across European society.

“Nelson Mandela Day reminds Europe that human rights are sustained not only through laws and institutions, but through the decisions people make in workplaces, schools and neighbourhoods,” Arjona said.

“When diplomats, elected representatives, religious communities and civil-society organisations meet around the same table, they strengthen the culture of dialogue and civic responsibility on which human dignity depends.”

The gathering reflected a wider European discussion about how to ensure that the rights established in international instruments are understood and applied locally.

While governments carry the primary obligations arising from international human rights law, schools, employers, faith communities, associations and individuals also influence whether people experience equality and respect in their daily lives.

Participants considered education an important part of that process. Knowledge of fundamental rights can help individuals recognise discrimination, understand their responsibilities towards others and participate more effectively in democratic and community life.

Mandela’s own words provided the closing reference point for the evening: “To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.”

Participants concluded the gathering with a renewed commitment to cooperation, education and practical initiatives capable of translating universal principles into lived experience.

About Youth for Human Rights International

Youth for Human Rights International is a nonprofit educational initiative founded in 2001. It teaches young people about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through educational publications, audiovisual resources, public events and youth-led activities. Its purpose is to encourage understanding of fundamental rights and foster tolerance, equality and peace.

About the Church of Scientology in Europe

The Church of Scientology, its missions, affiliated groups and members are present across the European continent, supporting community initiatives in human rights education, drug prevention, literacy, moral education and volunteer service.

Inspired by the humanitarian work of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, these activities are carried out in cooperation with educators, associations, public institutions and civil-society partners.

Recognition of Scientology churches and organisations as charitable and bona fide religious bodies continues to expand through administrative, judicial and tax decisions in a number of jurisdictions, alongside their ongoing commitment to education, prevention and community betterment.

Deadly Afghanistan floods kill at least 26 as aid agencies race to reach survivors

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United Nations News

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23 July 2026

Deadly Afghanistan floods kill at least 26 as aid agencies race to reach survivors

The flooding, triggered by heavy rainfall on 20 July, also claimed the lives of three Afghan refugees at a returnee transit camp near the Torkham border crossing with Pakistan, while nine others were injured, according to the UN relief coordination office, OCHA.

The worst devastation was reported in Parun City, the capital of Nuristan province, where a sudden flash flood struck at about 3pm local time, overwhelming residential neighbourhoods and commercial areas.

Preliminary assessments indicate that at least 22 houses were destroyed and another 45 severely damaged. Four bridges, six sections of road, irrigation canals and flood protection walls also sustained extensive damage, disrupting access to affected communities.

Saving lives

In an update from Kabul, Olga Cherevko from UN aid coordination office, OCHA, told UN News that the extreme weather event had damaged homes, roads, bridges, water systems, irrigation infrastructure and livelihoods.

“The immediate priority right now is to save lives and reach people who may still be missing or injured. But as the waters recede, the needs will extend well beyond the initial emergency response,” she said.

“Families whose homes have been destroyed or damaged will need shelter and essential household items, while damage to water and irrigation systems risks affecting access to safe drinking water and livelihoods.”

Search and rescue ongoing

The flooding disrupted access to safe drinking water for around 1,000 families after the local water supply network was damaged. Approximately 10 hectares of agricultural land were also affected, adding to concerns over livelihoods in one of Afghanistan’s most remote regions.

The disaster also affected aid operations, with offices, warehouses, vehicles and assets of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) reportedly damaged. One NGO staff member is said to be missing.

Search-and-rescue operations remained under way as of Tuesday, while mobile health teams, medical supplies and emergency food assistance were being deployed. There are fears, however, that casualty figures could rise as more information becomes available.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners are setting up a field clinic in Parun to provide trauma care and emergency medical services to people affected by the flooding.

Damage beyond Nuristan

Beyond Nuristan, flash flooding temporarily disrupted movement through the Torkham border crossing, a critical transit route between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Floodwaters also damaged shops, livelihood-related installations and the protection wall of a refugee repatriation compound, where humanitarian partners support returning Afghan refugees.

In neighbouring Laghman Province, flooding primarily damaged agricultural land and irrigation systems. No damage to homes had been reported there at the time of the latest assessment.

Urgent needs

According to OCHA, the most urgent needs include emergency shelter, food assistance, safe drinking water, hygiene supplies, healthcare, psychosocial support and household essentials for families who have lost homes and livelihoods.

Three inter-agency assessment teams are due to begin detailed needs assessments as responders work to establish the full scale of the disaster and identify the communities requiring immediate assistance.

The response, however, is being complicated by difficult terrain, damaged roads and limited access to remote mountain communities.

Humanitarian partners are also monitoring forecasts of further rainfall, warning that unstable weather could trigger additional flooding in the coming days while hampering rescue operations and delaying relief deliveries.

FAA Moves to Speed Air Taxis and Supersonic Jets

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23 July 2026

FAA Moves to Speed Air Taxis and Supersonic Jets

Clearing the Runway for New Aircraft

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration says it is working to help industry deploy air taxis and supersonic airplanes, boost space launches and expand drone operations. Deputy FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau laid out the approach in an interview at the Farnborough Airshow, and the framing was unusually unexpected for a safety regulator.

Flying taxi from Eve Air Mobility. Image credit: Eve Holdings.

Key Takeaways

An FAA pilot program launched last year covers eight partner companies across 26 states, and its data will inform eVTOL certification.
The agency proposed the first of two rules in June to lift the 1973 ban on supersonic transport over land, with both rules due to be finalized by mid-2027.
Aircraft certification for supersonic designs comes only after those rules are in place.

Letting industry set the pace

Rocheleau described a deliberate step back from writing detailed technical requirements. “We want to make sure that we’re not being too prescriptive in those standards, and that we’re letting the industry drive the innovation,” he said.

The electric vertical takeoff and landing pilot program is where that philosophy gets tested. Eight partners across 26 states are flying under it, and the resulting data feeds directly into how the agency writes certification rules. “The whole idea behind this is to take this new technology, these new aircraft, and put them into the national airstream in a safe and efficient manner,” Rocheleau said.

The Waymo comparison

Air taxi companies are chasing approvals to commercialize aircraft that take off and land vertically, ferrying passengers to airports or across congested cities. Archer Aviation CEO Adam Goldstein reached for a ground-transport analogy to explain how the rollout should work.

“I think the world has learned a lot in how the autonomous vehicles have launched,” Goldstein said, pointing to the city-by-city expansion of Google’s Waymo self-driving unit.

The FAA program gives the industry room to “roll this out to a couple cities in a confined area that we can kind of work through the kinks in the system,” Goldstein said. Contained deployment beats a national launch when the failure modes are still unknown.

Supersonic returns to the agenda

The overland supersonic ban dates to 1973 and has outlasted the aircraft it was written for. Commercial supersonic service ended in 2003 when Concorde retired after 27 years with Air France and British Airways.

In June the FAA proposed the first of two rules needed to lift the prohibition. A second rule will define acceptable noise thresholds for takeoff, landing and supersonic cruise. Both are due to be finalized by mid-2027, after which the FAA and other regulators still need to certify actual aircraft.

“We think the rules are old and outdated,” Rocheleau said.

The policy groundwork has been laid over several years rather than months. Executive action replaced the blanket overland prohibition with a performance-standards approach in mid-2025, and the FAA is now converting that direction into enforceable rules. On the electric side, the agency had already created a new powered-lift aircraft category, the first in nearly 80 years, covering pilot certification and operating rules for machines that switch between helicopter and airplane modes. Aerospace bodies covering the Farnborough remarks note the agency is pushing on certification, supersonic rulemaking and commercial spaceflight in parallel.

Manufacturers are further along than the rulebook. One US operator flew its first production electric air taxi in March and is working toward commercial service, while in China a 10-passenger eVTOL completed a public demonstration near Shanghai with type certification targeted for 2027. The bottleneck in both markets is the same and it is not aerodynamics. Landing pads, charging infrastructure and air traffic systems capable of handling dense low-altitude traffic do not yet exist at scale, and the eVTOL pilot programme is explicitly designed to gather the operating data those systems will be built on.

Written by Alius Noreika

World News in Brief: Aid for Ukraine, drone attacks in Sudan, DR Congo deaths, neurological disorders in the Americas

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United Nations News

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23 July 2026

World News in Brief: Aid for Ukraine, drone attacks in Sudan, DR Congo deaths, neurological disorders in the Americas

The UN’s office in Ukraine announced on Wednesday that its partners are seeking $358.4 million to provide heating assistance, shelter repairs, health care, protection and food and cash assistance to Ukrainians this coming winter.

“Last winter showed us that attacks on energy can leave families without heating, electricity and water for days – and sometimes weeks – during freezing temperatures,” said Matthias Schmale, humanitarian coordinator for the country.

“Humanitarian organizations are preparing now so we can reach people before winter arrives.”

Mr. Schmale added that the winter assistance will target people living closest to the frontline, newly displaced and evacuated people, those affected by attacks on civilian infrastructure and vulnerable groups at heightened risk of being left behind.

Drone strikes kill dozens in Sudan

Between Monday and Tuesday, two drone strikes likely launched by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia battling Government troops for control of Sudan, killed at least 27 civilians and injured several dozen more.

On Monday, drones hit a market in Ar Rahad, North Kordofan, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported. The following day, an even more deadly attack targeting a vital water source hit the Tina region in North Darfur.

“Markets are places where families gather to buy food, earn a living and meet basic needs,” UNICEF Representative in Sudan Sheldon Yett said after Monday’s attack. “They should never become places of death and devastation.”

The strikes are the latest in an ongoing war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and RSF, which has already killed at least 59,000 people and displaced at least 14 million more.

Children pay highest price

With 33.7 million people – about 64 per cent of Sudan’s population – needing humanitarian aid, the UN has called the humanitarian crisis in Sudan the world’s worst

The RSF currently surrounds and conducts frequent drone strikes on the city of El Obeid, North Kordofan’s capital, prompting widespread concerns that the situation there could become the next El Fasher – where the RSF killed thousands of civilians last year following months of siege.

In his Tuesday statement, Mr. Yett said El Obeid is part of a larger crisis facing children in Sudan, who face severe insecurity due to destroyed schools, homes, health facilities, water systems and markets.

Fighting in eastern DR Congo hinders humanitarian access

At least 30 people were killed and dozens more were injured in attacks in the Beni territory of DR Congo between 13 and 19 July, causing at least six humanitarian organizations to suspend movements to areas in that territory.

“Insecurity continues to impact humanitarian operations in the eastern parts of North Kivu province,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Wednesday. “This includes our efforts to respond to the ongoing Ebola outbreak, which is only getting worse.”

The ongoing clashes between the Congolese security forces and M23 armed group in the volatile east continue to displace civilians and restrict humanitarian access.

Ebola continues to spread

Also in the DRC, national health authorities have reported 2,473 confirmed Ebola cases across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

The UN continues to work with humanitarian partners and local authorities to scale up surveillance, laboratory testing, treatment and community engagement activities, and UN peacekeepers there are working to deter attacks on healthcare facilities.

“We reiterate our call on all parties to protect civilians and ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access,” Mr. Dujarric said. “The safety of all health workers and humanitarian personnel remains essential to containing the outbreak and delivering assistance to all those people who need it.”

UN report details neurological disorders in Americas

Researchers with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a sub-agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), found in a study published on Wednesday that nearly 470 million people across North and South America have at least one neurological disorder.

The figure represents two in five people living in the Americas and includes conditions such as migraine, stroke, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

Neurological disorders affect the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves and can impair movement, memory, learning, communication and behaviour, according to a PAHO press release on Wednesday.

Gaps remain in care access

The study also found that age-adjusted death rates have declined since 1990, meaning more people now survive these conditions and require access to long-term care and support services.

However, not all people living in the Americas can access this care.

Researchers found nearly a fourfold difference between countries with the highest and lowest burden – based on a measure of years of life lost to disease. Countries with the highest burden included Haiti, Guyana and Suriname, while countries with the lowest burden included Colombia, Peru and Argentina.

The disparities in care access reflect differences in exposure to risk factors as well as persistent gaps in access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and long-term care.

In terms of risk factors, PAHO said a significant share of neurological health loss can be prevented by controlling or avoiding high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, tobacco use and harmful environmental exposures.

UK Enters Ukraine Loan Framework

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22 July 2026

EU approval widens Kyiv’s financing options while tying post-Brexit security cooperation to oversight and long-term resilience EU member states have approv…

EU approval widens Kyiv’s financing options while tying post-Brexit security cooperation to oversight and long-term resilience

EU member states have approved the United Kingdom’s participation in the bloc’s €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan, giving Kyiv access to a wider pool of financing and suppliers as it tries to sustain public services and defend civilians through 2026 and 2027. The decision, announced in Brussels on Wednesday, is also a practical sign of how EU-UK security cooperation is being rebuilt around Ukraine after Brexit.

The Council approval allows Ukraine to use loan financing for defence-related procurement from UK-based industries, alongside the existing framework covering EU, EEA-EFTA and other approved third-country suppliers. The Council said the loan is intended to meet Ukraine’s most urgent needs over the next two years as Russia’s war continues.

The framework divides support into two broad channels: €60 billion for Ukraine’s defence industrial capacity and procurement, and €30 billion in direct economic and budgetary support. According to the Council, €8.1 billion has already been disbursed, including €3.2 billion in budgetary assistance and nearly €4.9 billion for defence. The Commission is expected to disburse €28.3 billion of the defence package during 2026.

A financing decision with political weight

The approval follows a UK-EU agreement signed on 13 July. London’s participation rests on three conditions: a fair and proportionate contribution to borrowing costs, a security and defence partnership with the Union, and existing significant support for Ukraine.

For Ukraine, the immediate value is predictability. Wartime budgets are not only about military capacity. They also determine whether salaries are paid, infrastructure is repaired, schools and hospitals continue operating, and displaced people can rely on basic public administration. A support loan cannot end the war, but regular financing can reduce the pressure on a state already carrying the social cost of invasion.

For the EU, the move also carries institutional significance. The loan is backed by EU-level borrowing and sits within a conditional framework that includes expectations on rule of law and anti-corruption. That matters because large wartime financing packages need public legitimacy as well as speed. European taxpayers, Ukrainian citizens and civil society monitors all have an interest in knowing how money is disbursed, who benefits from procurement, and what safeguards apply.

Post-Brexit cooperation becomes operational

The UK’s entry into the loan framework is another example of security cooperation moving from summit language into contracts, eligibility rules and financial commitments. It follows wider European efforts to organise defence-related procurement with trusted partners, including recent European defence cooperation involving non-EU allies.

That trend reflects a hard reality. Ukraine’s needs are immediate, while Europe’s industrial capacity remains uneven after years of fragmented national purchasing and underinvestment. Opening parts of the framework to partners such as the UK may help Kyiv obtain equipment faster, but it also raises questions about how Europe balances urgency with strategic autonomy, transparency and democratic control.

The Council said the formal adoption of the UK’s participation will take place in the coming days by written procedure. The decision will enter into force when it is published in the EU’s Official Journal.

The larger issue will unfold over months rather than hours. If the loan strengthens Ukraine’s resilience while keeping accountability visible, it could become a model for practical European solidarity under pressure. If scrutiny lags behind disbursement, the political consensus behind such support may become harder to sustain. In a long war, both speed and trust are strategic assets.

Publishing house in Denmark receives HP Indigo’s “2026 Record Printer Award”

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22 July 2026