Council adopts conclusions on the use of satellite data, in particular from Earth Observation constellations, for civil protection and crisis management.
The President of the European Council, António Costa, will travel to Brazil from 27 to 29 May 2025, with official engagements in Brasília and São Paulo. This mission marks a renewed political momentum in EU-Brazil relations and reflects the importance of Brazil as a key strategic partner.
During the visit, President Costa will meet President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and will deliver a keynote address at the inaugural EU-Brazil Investment Forum. The visit comes at a pivotal moment for EU-Brazil relations, as both partners seek to advance joint priorities on climate action, digital transformation, sustainable development and global governance, and reinforce high-level political and economic ties.
Brazil is not just a close friend, it is a strategic partner for the EU – a global player and a key ally in promoting democracy, multilateralism and shaping a more just and sustainable world.
In times when these values are challenged globally, it is even more crucial that countries like Brazil and the European Union stand together to uphold them.
This visit is an opportunity to deepen our cooperation and further work towards an ambitious global agenda that benefits both our citizens and our planet. Together, we are investing in trust, sustainability and an international order rooted in cooperation, not confrontation.
António Costa, President of the European Council
During his meeting with President Lula in Brasília on 27 May, President Costa will focus on reinforcing political, economic and sectoral cooperation, particularly in view of Brazil’s upcoming presidency of COP30. The two presidents will exchange views on their bilateral and global priorities, including climate change, trade, the green and digital transitions and critical raw materials. They will also discuss the global geopolitical context and how to maximize the benefits of the EU-Mercosur Agreement, the negotiations of which were concluded last December.
The following day, on 29 May, the President will head to São Paulo to deliver remarks at the inaugural EU-Brazil investment forum and formally launch the EU-Brazil Investment Dialogue. This new framework will support high-standard and sustainable investments and further strengthen economic ties.
At a time when bilateral relations face growing strains and multilateralism is under pressure, the visit will highlight the EU’s commitment to an ambitious and forward-looking strategic partnership with Brazil, underpinned by strong political ties, robust economic cooperation and a shared commitment to tackling global challenges together.
Background
Brazil has been a strategic partner of the EU since 2007. The EU is Brazil’s second-largest trading partner and its largest foreign investor, with over €300 billion in direct investment stocks. Since President Lula took office in 2023, EU-Brazil ties have gained new dynamism, with revived and new political and sectoral dialogues on climate, energy, digital transformation, security, and public health. The conclusion of negotiations of the EU-Mercosur Agreement in December 2024 has added further impetus to the relationship.
The EU and Brazil also cooperate closely in the UN and the G20, within the framework of the EU-CELAC summit and through new initiatives such as the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty and the G20 coalition for regional vaccine production.
European Council President António Costa will travel to Brazil from 27 to 29 May 2025 to meet with Brazilian President Lula da Silva and participate in the EU-Brazil Investment Forum. The visit highlights the EU’s commitment to a forward-looking strategic partnership with Brazil to advance joint priorities, including climate action and multilateral cooperation.
629 Palestinians were reportedly killed in the last week, according to OHCHR in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
At least 358 were killed because of attacks targeting houses and tents for displaced people, with children and women comprising at least 148 of the victims.
“The high number of strikes on shelters, in the context of the existing destruction of infrastructure in Gaza, raises grave concerns that not all strikes were targeting military objectives,” OHCHR said.
Furthermore, nine Palestinian journalists were killed last week, making it one of the deadliest for the profession since the conflict began in October 2023.
Although journalists have a deep sense of duty to their work, “they, too, are displaced, tired and hungry like the rest of the population of Gaza,” OHCHR said.
“However, it appears that in many instances, these journalists may have been deliberately targeted with the intention of limiting the flow of information on what is happening in Gaza and the scale of the impact that this war is having on civilians.”
The office said international journalists must be allowed into Gaza and their safety ensured.
Aid on the move
Meanwhile, lifesaving aid is making its way across the enclave following a nearly 80-day blockade.
UN aid coordination office OCHA confirmed that 90 trucks carrying nutrition supplies, flour, medicines and other critical stocks left the Kerem Shalom border crossing on Wednesday for multiple destinations inside Gaza.
Among the supplies were more than 500 pallets containing items such as ready-to-use therapeutic food and nutritional supplements which were offloaded at a warehouse in Deir Al-Balah belonging to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The contents are being unpacked and repackaged into smaller loads for onward transportation to distribution points.
Workers pack freshly baked bread into bags for distribution at Al-Banna Bakery in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.
Famine risk persists
A handful of bakeries in south and central Gaza, supported by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), are also now operational and are back to baking bread, which is being distributed via community kitchens.
“However, after nearly 80 days of a total blockade of humanitarian assistance, families still face a high risk of famine, and far more aid is urgently needed into the Gaza Strip,” said Mr. Dujarric.
Food security experts recently warned that Gaza’s entire population, over two million people, are at risk of famine, with nearly half a million facing starvation.
Humanitarians underlined the critical need for Israel to facilitate the movement of aid convoys, including from southern Gaza into the north, so that all supplies can reach people in need wherever they are.
“We also need to ensure the use of secure routes from Kerem Shalom onward into Gaza, as we did last night,” the Spokesperson said.
Strikes and shelling continue
Meanwhile, military operations continue across Gaza, with reports of strikes, shelling and fresh ground incursions.
The Al Awda hospital in North Gaza caught fire on Thursday, reportedly after being attacked. The medicine warehouse was heavily damaged, according to initial reports.
“Through coordination with Israeli authorities, OCHA facilitated the access of the Palestinian Civil Defense to the area, where they spent hours working to extinguish the fire,” said Mr. Dujarric.
He added that water wells in some areas of Gaza are shutting down as no fuel has been allowed in since the blockade.
“OCHA reports that Israeli authorities continue to deny our attempts to deliver fuel from areas where coordination is required,” he said.
Healthcare under attack
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Israel’s intensified military operations continue to threaten Gaza’s already weakened health system.
Four major hospitals – Kamal Adwan, Indonesia, Hamad and European Gaza – have had to suspend medical services in the past week due to their proximity to hostilities or evacuation zones, and attacks.
Only 19 out of 36 hospitals remain operational. Twelve provide a variety of health services, while the rest are only able to provide basic emergency care.
WHO has recorded 28 attacks on healthcare in Gaza over the past week, and 697 attacks since October 2023.
Speaking at a high-level open debate in the Security Council on protection of civilians in armed conflict on Thursday, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher described a grim picture of accelerating harm, disintegrating norms and growing impunity.
“The scaffolding built last century to protect us from inhumanity is crumbling,” he said.
According to UN figures, civilians accounted for most of the deaths in 14 armed conflicts last year, while displacement reached a record 122 million people globally.
Attacks on hospitals, schools, water systems and power grids also surged, leaving millions without essential services.
UN staff members and aid workers were caught in the crossfire, with over 360 aid workers killed – at least 200 in Gaza and at least 54 in Sudan – mostly national staff.
Warfare transforming
Mr. Fletcher warned that new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), are transforming warfare in ways that could further erode human oversight and legal accountability, while proliferation of misinformation is costing lives.
“False narratives and disinformation have undermined humanitarian operations and eroded trust in humanitarian actors…while those trying to report on the plight of civilians were also harmed,” he said.
According to UNESCO, the UN focal agency on protection of the press, at least 53 journalists were killed in armed conflict last year.
“We are witnessing, therefore, an unravelling of the protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law.”
Women’s bodies are battlegrounds
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous expanded on the gendered dimensions of civilian harm, saying over 612 million women and girls are living in conflict zones today.
They are not simply collateral damage but direct targets of bombs, missiles and policies.
“Conflict-related sexual violence is a protection crisis that warrants its own attention,” she said, describing a growing pattern of “reproductive violence” and pointing to blockades on medical supplies, bombed maternity wards and skyrocketing maternal death.
In Gaza, over 28,000 women and girls have been killed since October 2023 – an average of one every hour, she said.
“Tens of thousands have given birth under bombardment and siege, without anaesthetics, without postpartum care or clean water, and while being malnourished, displaced and traumatised.”
Destruction in northern Gaza.
Hold perpetrators accountable
Ms. Bahous urged the Security Council to recognise reproductive violence as a distinct category of harm and bring those responsible to justice.
She also highlighted the mental health impacts of conflict on women and girls – from depression and trauma to domestic violence and suicidal thoughts.
The threats extend into the digital sphere, where women activists and journalists are being pushed out of public life by online abuse, deepfakes and disinformation campaigns.
Enforce compliance with law
Both Mr. Fletcher and Ms. Bahous called for urgent action.
UN Member States must enforce compliance with international humanitarian law, fight impunity, and empower civilians – especially women – as agents of their own protection and bringing change.
Mr. Fletcher emphasised that even lawful military actions can cause disproportionate civilian suffering.
“[We need a] more comprehensive and people-centred approach,” he said, urging strong policy and operational measures to protect civilians and a deeper understanding of patterns of life and harm.
A child who lost his left leg after accidentally stepping on a landmine in his family’s paddy fields in central Myanmar.
Protection and peace inseparable
Recalling Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, Ms. Bahous called for sustained investment in women’s organizations, which are on the frontlines – protecting civilians – men, women, children and the elderly alike.
“Yet, they are under siege,” she said, noting that continued funding cuts will cost us the very women driving peace and recovery in the world’s most fragile contexts.
She concluded stressing that protection of women and their participation in peace “are inseparable”.
“The most effective shield we can offer women and girls is their own power, their own voices, and their own leadership…there is no pathway to peace that does not begin with the protection of women and girls.”
European Council President António Costa will travel to Brazil from 27 to 29 May 2025 to meet with Brazilian President Lula da Silva and participate in the EU-Brazil Investment Forum. The visit highlights the EU’s commitment to a forward-looking strategic partnership with Brazil to advance joint priorities, including climate action and multilateral cooperation.
Before granting Mauritius independence in 1968, Britain unlawfully separated the Chagos archipelago to create the British Indian Ocean Territory.
In doing so, it expelled 1,500–2,000 islanders to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island, to the United States for joint military use.
Under the agreement, the UK will lease the island of Diego Garcia for the next 99 years to continue operating its joint military base with the United States.
The agreement signed on Thursday between the UK and Mauritius is “a significant step towards resolving a long-standing dispute in the Indian Ocean region” and “demonstrates the value of diplomacy in addressing historical grievances”, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric in Thursday’s briefing.
Welcoming the signature of the agreement, the UN Secretary-General, urged both the UK and Mauritius to “continue engaging in constructive discussion”, in order to ensure that “the rights and aspirations of the Chagossians people are fully respected,” said Mr. Dujarric.
The civil war in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has killed over 18,000 people and displaced 13 million, triggering a regional migration crisis.
Even before the war, humanitarian conditions and human rights protections were fragile, but in the past two years, they have become dire.
Of the 30.4 million Sudanese in need of assistance, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is currently reaching 2.3 million with emergency food and nutrition support, as ongoing violence and infrastructure destruction compound the crisis.
Urgent ceasefire needed
Recent drone attacks on Port Sudan, once a vital entry point for aid, have further deepened the crisis. UN-designated expert Radhouane Nouicer warned Monday that these strikes on critical infrastructure “are putting lives at risk, worsening the humanitarian crisis, and violating basic human rights.”
On Thursday, Mr. Dujarric reported that attacks in Khartoum state have triggered a total electricity blackout, disrupting access to clean water and healthcare amid rising food prices and cholera outbreaks.
The blackout has exacerbated the spread of cholera and other waterborne diseases.
Mr. Dujarric also noted that ongoing insecurity displaced 47,000 people from Khiwai and Nuhud in West Kordofan this month, while another 1,000 were displaced this week from Abu Shouk camp and El Fasher in North Darfur.
At the Arab League Summit in Iraq over the weekend, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for urgent multilateral action to end “appalling violence, famine and mass displacement,” and met with African Union leaders to encourage a push for a ceasefire.
Emergency relief funds released for DR Congo
The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated new funds to crisis situations, from Afghanistan to Zambia.
On Wednesday, CERF made $750,000 available to support cholera response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.
The emergency funds will enable the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and partners to deliver critical aid, including timely cholera detection and response, medical treatment, risk communication, and community engagement.
In addition, CERF allocated $10 million to help more than 270,0000 people in vulnerable communities across South Sudan, where the threat of renewed civil war looms.
Ahead of the rainy season, CERF’s life-saving aid will notably target communities who have been impacted by overlapping crises, especially conflict and displacement in the states of Jonglei and Upper Nile.
CERF also allocated $9.5 million to support climate action initiatives in eight countries: Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Chad, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, Venezuela, and Zambia.
LOS ANGELES — In a market saturated with electric bikes that promise the future but pedal in circles, Kingbull has quietly carved out something rare: trust.
More than 20,000 riders strong, the Kingbull community is not just buying bikes—they’re buying into a philosophy: that you shouldn’t have to choose between power and portability, range and affordability. With 1,453 glowing reviews and a near-perfect 4.89-star rating, it’s no surprise Google recently named Kingbull a Top Quality Store in the United States.
But ratings alone don’t climb hills—or fold neatly into the trunk of a hatchback. The Literider 2.0 does both.
The upgrades are not just cosmetic. At the heart of the Literider 2.0 roars a 750-watt BAFANG(GD) motor capable of unleashing a peak torque of 85Nm—enough to flatten a 30-degree slope without breaking a sweat. The extended battery range, now stretching up to 60 miles, means fewer worries and more wandering.
CEO of Kingbull put it plainly: “With Literider 2.0, we kept everything riders loved and upgraded what mattered most—without raising the price. This is a bike designed for your everyday, your way.”
And the engineering doesn’t just ride well—it rides smart. A redesigned frame with hidden cables makes folding safer and more intuitive, while hydraulic disc brakes and 20″x4″ puncture-resistant CST fat tires keep you in control, whether you’re dodging potholes downtown or barreling down a dirt trail.
Form Follows Function—Then Passes It
Unlike many competitors, Kingbull hasn’t sacrificed style for specs. The Literider 2.0 now comes in five colors—including a head-turning new Purple, made to stand out in an urban crowd or trailhead lineup.
But its biggest statement? Portability with no apologies. Weighing just 71 pounds, the Literider 2.0 folds down for van life, apartment dwellers, or weekend warriors with minimal garage space. And with Class-3 performance reaching up to 28 MPH, this is no scooter with pedals—it’s a machine with a mission.
More Than a Bike. A Movement.
At the 2024 Long Beach Electrify Expo, skeptics watched the Literider 2.0 hit 33 MPH in real-world tests. It didn’t just meet expectations—it ran them over, silently and swiftly.
Zophie, a respected voice in the e-bike community, summed it up: “The Literider series gives you big-bike power in a compact form—perfect for van life, apartment storage, or just everyday fun.”
And that’s the essence of Kingbull. They aren’t just building bikes—they’re building belonging. A rider-first company that still offers test rides in select California locations and answers its own phone at 213-588-4335.
The Road Ahead
The Literider 2.0 is now available for order at kingbullebike.com, launching with a limited-time price that holds firm at $1,099—a rare refusal to let inflation price out adventure.
In a world where commutes are longer, sidewalks are fuller, and the planet is running hot, the Literider 2.0 offers something radical: control. Over your time. Over your path. Over how you move through the noise.
And for once, a company kept its promise: to make that freedom foldable.
“Fifteen World Food Programme trucks were looted late last night in southern Gaza, while en route to WFP-supported bakeries,” the UN agency said. “These trucks were transporting critical food supplies for hungry populations waiting anxiously for assistance.”
The development is a blow to continuing efforts to help Gaza’s most vulnerable people after Israel allowed a limited number of aid trucks into Gaza earlier this week, following an 11-week total blockade.
Today, Gazans face “hunger, desperation and anxiety over whether more food aid is coming”, WFP said, noting that the uncertainty “is contributing to rising insecurity”.
“We need support from the Israeli authorities to get far greater volumes of food assistance into Gaza faster, more consistently and transported along safer routes, as was done during the ceasefire,” it insisted.
The incident comes a day after about 90 trucks loaded with food, nutrition supplies, medicines and other critical stocks finally started to move from Kerem Shalom crossing point in southern Gaza deeper into the enclave.
Footage released by WFP showed workers carrying sacks of flour into an empty warehouse and making dough ready for baking. In subsequent online posts, the UN agency said that a handful of bakeries were once again baking bread after receiving “limited supplies” overnight.
But the UN agency insisted: “Bread alone is not enough for people to survive.”
“This is a critical first step – but assistance must be scaled up,” said WFP Deputy Country Director Vladmir Jovcev. “More essential food is needed to push back the risk of famine.”
In an appeal for far more aid, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA said that what had been allowed in was “nowhere near sufficient” to meet needs of Gaza’s 2.1 million people.
“Other supplies as basic as fresh food, hygiene items, water purification agents, and fuel to power hospitals have not been let in for over 80 days,” OCHA noted.
More than 500 pallets loaded with nutrition supplies – nearly 20 truckloads – reached UNICEF’s warehouse in Deir al Balah on Thursday, according to OCHA.
These supplies included ready-to-use therapeutic food and lipid-based nutritional supplements which were then repackaged into smaller loads for delivery to people via dozens of distribution points.
